Cell tracking with TRACE3D - a new algorithm

An automated algorithm called TRACE3D is presented which identifies convective cells and tracks them in time and space by exclusively using radar reflectivity data as input. Identification of cells is performed by assembling contiguous regions that excel certain reflectivity thresholds. Tracking is done in that the position of a cell in a new radar image is predicted by an extrapolation procedure based on its former position; special care is taken in case of possible splitting and merging events. In comparing the results of the tracking algorithm with those from four test persons, TRACE3D shows a promising performance, and hence, it seems possible to apply this algorithm as a nowcasting tool. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.