WCVB Completes First-Ever Doppler X-Band Radar Tower
State-Of-The-Art Technology Gives Meteorolgists The Edge
POSTED: 2:21 pm EDT October 5, 2001
UPDATED: 12:25 pm EDT May 13, 2007
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BOSTON -- Nearly eight weeks after breaking ground, construction was completed on WCVB-TV Channel 5's new state-of-the art Storm Team 5 Live Doppler radar tower in 2001.
Located in the center of WCVB's viewing area in the town of Hopkinton, Mass., the radar's sophisticated "X-Band" technology will grant the station the unique ability to provide important real-time information about severe weather to viewers and local emergency management officials.Today, all television stations in New England obtain the same raw data from the National Weather Service center in Taunton, Mass. With information from a common source, local meteorologists then analyze the data and forecast independently.The new Storm Team 5 Live Doppler radar will give the WeatherCenter 5 experts a unique data-gathering instrument in their arsenal. Live Doppler will provide a "second opinion" on the conventional radar view that can be adjusted to trouble-shoot specific areas of suspicious meteorological activity.All Storm Team 5 meteorologists have undergone extensive training in the software used to capture the live radar data. After integrating the software into the station's switcher, Channel 5 launched the technology during its newscasts and on the station web site, TheBostonChannel.com.
The system has a substantial impact on Storm Team 5's ability to predict upcoming storms with its "X-Band" technology that was created specifically for winter weather in the Northeast states.In addition to underscoring WCVB's position as the local leader for meteorological reports and breakthroughs, Storm Team 5 Live Doppler also marks the arrival of a new public safety tool.By sharing the data derived from this state-of-the-art equipment with local, regional and national agencies, Channel 5 can contribute to early warning procedures that protect against damage from severe storms.Because of the public safety implications, Channel 5 will provide the radar data directly to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency and the town of Hopkinton at absolutely no cost. Currently, this critical information is not available to these organizations.
Located in the center of WCVB's viewing area in the town of Hopkinton, Mass., the radar's sophisticated "X-Band" technology will grant the station the unique ability to provide important real-time information about severe weather to viewers and local emergency management officials.Today, all television stations in New England obtain the same raw data from the National Weather Service center in Taunton, Mass. With information from a common source, local meteorologists then analyze the data and forecast independently.The new Storm Team 5 Live Doppler radar will give the WeatherCenter 5 experts a unique data-gathering instrument in their arsenal. Live Doppler will provide a "second opinion" on the conventional radar view that can be adjusted to trouble-shoot specific areas of suspicious meteorological activity.All Storm Team 5 meteorologists have undergone extensive training in the software used to capture the live radar data. After integrating the software into the station's switcher, Channel 5 launched the technology during its newscasts and on the station web site, TheBostonChannel.com.The system has a substantial impact on Storm Team 5's ability to predict upcoming storms with its "X-Band" technology that was created specifically for winter weather in the Northeast states.In addition to underscoring WCVB's position as the local leader for meteorological reports and breakthroughs, Storm Team 5 Live Doppler also marks the arrival of a new public safety tool.By sharing the data derived from this state-of-the-art equipment with local, regional and national agencies, Channel 5 can contribute to early warning procedures that protect against damage from severe storms.Because of the public safety implications, Channel 5 will provide the radar data directly to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency and the town of Hopkinton at absolutely no cost. Currently, this critical information is not available to these organizations.Copyright 2007 by TheBostonChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
