The following is a list of the markets in which UCAR has technologies available for licensing through the UCAR Foundation. For descriptions of technologies within a category, please click on the appropriate button below.

Aviation Weather Systems

Aviation Weather Products Generator

Data from current and planned atmospheric observing platforms is processed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration into a high-resolution, four-dimensional grid of aviation-impact variables (icing, turbulence, ceiling, etc.) and state-of-the-atmosphere variables (wind, humidity, temperature, pressure).  The atmosphere is then defined in finer and more accurate detail than has ever been available.  The Aviation Weather Products Generator ingests this database and creates aviation weather products tailored for aviation system users (typically non-meteorologists).  Users can graphically view weather at specific altitudes and along selected routes of flight.  Products currently under development include Icing Severity Index, Turbulence Index, Ceiling and Visibility, Jet Stream, Storm Cell Location, Wind Shear, Terminal Weather Depiction, and Weather Impacted Airspace.

In-Flight Icing Hazard Detector

An airborne system that uses dual frequency radar beams transmitted into a cloud ahead of an aircraft.  The reflected signals at each of the two frequencies are compared and processed to determine the presence, amount, and location of regions of supercooled water.  The In-Flight Icing Hazard Detector can provide advance warning to a pilot of conditions that may cause icing.  Pilot discretion can then be used to avoid an icing area and reduce the risk of ice formation on the aircraft.

Low-Level Wind-Shear Alert System

The Phase III Low-Level Wind-Shear Alert System is a real-time wind-shear and microburst detection system which collects windfield data from sensors around an airport's runways.  A computer processes this data with an algorithm to detect conditions that may cause wind-shear events and subsequently generates appropriate messages to the air traffic control display.  Air traffic controllers can then warn pilots of probable wind-shear events and pilots can exercise their own judgment to avoid areas of probable wind-shear.

Weather Support to De-Icing Decision Making 

Weather Support to De-Icing Decision Making uses data from sources such as regional area Doppler radars, surface weather stations, and snow gauges situated within an airport's terminal area to depict accurate real-time nowcasts of snowfall rate, plus temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction.  This information can then be used to help ground personnel conduct aircraft de-icing operations.

Window Display System 

A UNIX Window-based data acquisition, display, and analysis system developed for both airborne and ground use. Extremely versatile and easily learned software allows for real-time data display and visualization of atmospheric conditions and phenomena during flight.  Ground-based use allows for further analysis of data recorded during flight. The Window Display System consists of four simultaneous displays covering a full-screen area.  Many types of displays are available.

Education and Training

COMET® (Cooperative Program for Operational Meteorology, Education and Training) Modules

The Cooperative Program for Operational Meteorology, Education and Training (COMET) provides professional developmental education for operational weather forecasters, university faculty, and other meteorologists in the techniques of modern weather forecasting, including the use of new observational tools.  A typical COMET Module contains four to twelve hours of highly interactive instruction and incorporates case studies, 3-D graphics, animation, audio, video, and non-linear browsing to provide a truly unique educational experience.  COMET Module content is ideal for use at home, in the classroom and as an interface with broadband networks.

Meteorological & Environmental Instruments 

Ambient Air Sampler

Designed for sampling trace gases in the atmosphere.  The sampler is mounted to a tether line of a balloon to create a lightweight instrument package for collection of air samples.  An aerodynamic cover minimizes air drag and pivotal mounting to the tether line allows for better sampling and measurements.  A constant flow pump draws air into the sampler and a selector valve directs the samples into one of many sampling bags.  Sampler can be controlled remotely or can be timer operated.

Conditional Sampler

The Conditional Sampler measures chemical fluxes in the atmosphere using sensors with slow response times.  It collects air samples in updrafts and downdrafts which can be analyzed to produce values directly proportional to the flux.  Its design consists of a sensor to measure vertical velocity of the air, a set of valves to collect air samples based on vertical motion, and an analyzer to measure the concentration of various chemical species.

Integrated Sounding System

A synergistic combination of state-of-the-art remote and in situ sensors that provide a comprehensive characterization of the atmosphere.  Consists of an integrated suite of atmospheric observing systems combined with local computing facilities, housed in a transportable container.  A local network links the observing systems to a workstation which provides data processing, analysis, archiving, display, and communication.  The system is designed to be deployed in a network configuration of multiple systems which, when coupled with data assimilation, will provide highly resolved, four-dimensional fields of the basic atmospheric parameters. Runs on UNIX and DOS.  Next Generation Upper Air Sounding System (NEXUS®)

Next Generation Upper Air Sounding System (NEXUS®)

NEXUS is an automatic balloon launching upper air sounding system. Subsystems include: a Balloon (400 - 1000 gm helium-filled balloons) Inflation and Deployment Shelter; a Balloon Launch and Tracking System; and a 400MHz and 1680 MHz dual yagi Antenna System.  NEXUS software allows for configuration of any type radiosonde.  Remote and time delayed launching is possible with the automatic retractable roof hatch.  Since one person can prepare the sonde, inflate/launch the balloon, and perform all data acquisition, labor cost is minimized.  Shelter design allows for launching in high winds. Loran/Omega Radio Navigation windfinding.

Portable Automated Mesonet System

Portable, solar-powered, automated surface weather observing stations that routinely measure temperature, humidity, winds, pressure, and rainfall.  Some stations can be configured to measure soil and surface temperatures as well as solar net and IR radiation.  Data is telemetered in near real-time to field-deployed base stations via satellite for graphic display and archival. System allows for short-term, intensive field investigations that require surface monitoring of basic meteorological parameters.

Portable Intelligent Whole Air Sampling System

Performs in situ air sampling over multiple time periods at individually programmable times, rates and volumes.  The system contains multiple independent disposable syringes that collectively provide a large sampling capacity for a large number of samples over an extended period.  In addition, the unit/sampler features a battery powered system for portability, operational ability in a wide variety of environmental conditions, an internal time stamping feature to record time and date of events, and microprocessor controlled program features for flexible sampling options.  The removable cassette/carousel provides sample portability to a sample extraction device that that functions opposite the field intake device.  Sampling system mechanical components include a removable syringe cassette/carousel, a motorized carousel drive, a motorized plunger extractor, and a motorized syringe selection fork.  With the programmable microprocessor and three motor syringe selection and/or operation mechanisms, any number of syringes can be precisely operated during the sample period by rotating a carousel to any available syringe.  Sample extraction system mechanical components include a removable syringe cassette/carousel, motorized carousel drive, and motorized plunger depression drive.  With a programmable microprocessor and two motor syringe selection and/or operation mechanism, the samples within any number of syringes can be precisely extracted.  Further, varying sized carousels and varying sized disposable syringes can be combined for additional flexibility in the sampling or extraction system.

Self-Guided Recoverable Airborne Instrument Module 

An unpowered airborne package that is capable of guiding itself to a predetermined landing site.  Controlled descent is made possible through the navigation circuitry housed inside the module.  Once airborne, sensors in the module receive Global Positioning System (GPS) signals or other radio frequency data transmitted by fixed beacons.  The sensors use these signals to determine altitude and geographic position.  The module compares its position to at least one predetermined landing site that has been stored in memory and calculates a flight path.  Once the flight path has been determined, an internal steering system guides the module to its destination.  During its descent, the module continues to regulate its course and makes flight path adjustments as necessary.  After landing, the module emits a signal indicating its last location and altitude measurement to an accuracy of within 50 feet.

Designed to address the problem of escalating costs associated with today's sounding systems, this technology advocates the position that a new type of rawinsonde with higher quality sensors could be employed at a lower cost per sounding by retrieving and reusing the sonde many times.  Since this new design would provide a greater recovery rate over present sonde designs, the value of the measurement instruments carried in the instrument package could be significantly increased.  The accurate determination of present position during the flight significantly increases the accuracy of the wind measurements and enables the use of this apparatus in locales which are not equipped with conventional wind finding systems.

UV Hygrometer

A two-wavelength, two-path instrument that measures the water vapor concentration in a sample of air using an optical technique to provide fast response, stable calibration, and immunity to airborne contaminants.  It relies on the differential absorption by water vapor of two wavelengths in the vacuum ultraviolet.  The differential absorption technique employs a reference path and a second wavelength to address the problems of detector drift, changes in lamp output, and window contamination.  The measurement process involves transmitting 2 narrow-spectrum light beams of different wavelengths (one highly and one slightly absorbed by H2O), one at a time, through an air sampling chamber and along a reference path. Both wavelengths are split to produce 2 pairs of light beams.  One beam is transmitted through the air sampling chamber and the other beam along the reference path to measure the strength of each source, in turn.  These 4 measurements plus 2 measurements of detector dark current allow six different values to be analyzed in determining water vapor concentration.  By measuring the differential and received intensities of the two sets of light beams, the level of contaminants in the air sampling chamber for both of the wavelengths can be determined, since the second wavelength is subject primarily to contamination.

Weather Radar Systems

In-Flight Icing Hazard Detector

An airborne system that uses dual frequency radar beams transmitted into a cloud ahead of an aircraft.  The reflected signals at each of the two frequencies are compared and processed to determine the presence, amount, and location of regions of supercooled water. Provides advance warning to a pilot of conditions that may cause icing.  Pilot discretion can then be used to avoid an icing area and reduce the risk of ice formation on the aircraft.

Improved Pulse Doppler Weather Radar 

A system that helps to resolve both the range and velocity ambiguity problems found in current weather radar systems. It uses a unique transmit waveform that reduces parameter ambiguities in the received echo signal.  Constant pulse repetition frequency pulse train is modified by staggering at least one pulse in a series.  Neuromorphic processor uses the independent parameter estimates to more precisely identify the nature, presence, and location of meteorological events within the radar's range of operation.  Designed for ground-based weather radar systems, this system can be incorporated onto existing weather radar systems with relatively little effort and low cost.

Microburst Automatic Detection

System uses fuzzy logic data analysis techniques to detect and identify the size and location of microburst activity within a radar image field on a real-time basis.  High success rate in confirmed detections and extremely low false-positive rate clearly attest to the effectiveness and efficiency of the algorithm.  Use with various radar and radar data format make the system extremely versatile and broadly applicable as a radar upgrade package.

Multi-Parameter Radar Hail Detection 

System analyzes the statistical properties of falling hydrometeors, the geometric relationships between the hydrometeors and radar wavelength and the propagation of radar signals through rain and hail to more accurately detect unambiguous hail.  Allows the aviation community and general public, for example, to take greater precautionary steps when a hail storm approaches.

PC-Integrated Radar Acquisition System 

A signal board processing card that turns a personal computer into a radar receiver/data acquisition system.  It can be applied to any airborne or ground-based weather radar system including: bistatic radar, profilers, surveillance radar and weather-avoidance airborne radar.  This inexpensive card opens the door for vastly greater flexibility in radar deployment by compressing the space needed for signal processing from bookshelf-sized units to a single PC card. The programmability of this system allows each user to tailor the configuration as needed.

Real-Time Multi-Parameter Radar-Based Extraction of Meteorological Parameters 

Software for the automatic retrieval of meteorological parameters, including precipitation rate, cloud liquid water content, and cloud particle-type classification.  Uses neural net and expert system decision system to produce final visual map of precipitation rates and contour plot of densities.  Works with polarization radars.

Real-Time Radar Display

Software that displays real-time radar data.  It has been used for thunderstorm, hail and icing forecasting experiments, aviation weather product verifications, and research aircraft and vehicle coordinations.  Display capabilities include PPI, RHI, and CAPPI.  This software also provides strong overlay display capabilities which include geographic maps (state and county borders, roads, terrain), icons (radars, Portable Automated Mesonet stations, airports, airplanes, vehicles), and real-time weather products (gust fronts, microbursts, storm tracking, weather forecasting).  It has a built-in graphical tool which allows the user to draw graphical objects over the radar display and export them on the network for analysis and forecasting.  Since the software is user-configurable and built on top of the X Window system, it is portable to virtually every workstation available today.  A portable interface design allows the software to be easily adapted to different radar formats, a user's local network and weather product environment.

Wind Profiler Algorithms

Technology to improve the quality of wind and turbulence measurements generated by profilers.  The computation system comprises an improved method of moment estimation for devices which measure spectra as a function of range or time.  The preferred embodiment of this system is as part of an automated meteorological monitoring system for the accurate real-time detection of meteorological phenomena, such as winds, wind shear and turbulence.  This automated meteorological monitoring system uses a standard weather radar transmitter to scan a predetermined volume of space with a stream of radar pulses to determine the characteristics of meteorological phenomena that are extant in the predetermined volume.  The computation system utilizes novel signal processing algorithms to excise the valid data from the return echoes, which are corrupted by the presence of contaminating signals.  Separating the valid data from the noise in this manner improves the responsiveness and accuracy of the system in which this method is implemented.

Scientific Computing & Visualization

NCAR Graphics ®

NCAR Graphics has been at the forefront of scientific visualization for more than 20 years.  With the release of Version 4, NCAR Graphics continues its evolution into an integrated environment for data processing and scientific visualization.  The package contains multiple interfaces to accommodate diverse user skill levels and application needs.  Many tools come bundled with the distribution to perform such functions as viewing and editing metafiles, creating animations, converting between raster formats, resizing and compressing raster images, and zooming on images.  NCAR Graphics produces output files based on popular industry standards, such as PostScript and Computer Graphics Metafile (CGM). T his allows the importation of NCAR Graphics plots into non-NCAR visualization tools that run on Macintoshes, Personal Computers (PCs), and UNIX systems.

Three-Dimensional Terminal Viewer - Virtual Reality Imaging System 

A software-based analysis and display system that integrates LANDSAT, aircraft position and weather data, etc., to produce a three-dimensional real-time view of conditions in the vicinity of an airport.  It can show the three- dimensional view from any location, particularly from any selected aircraft pilot's view, on a display in the cockpit or tower.  Meteorological data including microbursts and other wind-shear phenomena can be visualized and either added to or subtracted from the screen display.  It can be easily adapted to display a variety of gridded data.  The system uses a combination of colors and transparency to represent various layers of cloud, to look inside clouds; it can see the location of other planes (and show their relative sizes and movement); and, it can "see through" weather conditions or nighttime features such as runway approaches as if during daytime.  The concept can be extended to use with flight simulators to test pilot responses to weather situations.  The broader applications relate to three-dimensional computer imaging, including the addition and subtraction of temporal and spatial phenomena, to show real-time conditions throughout a multidimensional space.

Thunderstorm Identification, Tracking, Analysis and Nowcasting Software

A software package for thunderstorm identification, tracking, analysis, and nowcasting that uses radar data to find and follow individual storms, defined as regions of a certain size and radar reflectivity (typically 50 cubic kilometers and 40 decibels reflectivity).  Past storm trends are used to predict future location, intensity, and size.

WEATHER Software

Highly flexible database front-end software designed to provide a simple, uniform interface to nearly all of the types of data used in standard meteorology labs.  WEATHER allows efficient access in terms of both user time and computer resources.  It uses one simple command syntax to access all types of weather data and outputs both raw and decoded data (such as METARs, synoptic data, ship reports, buoy data, soundings, and profiler data).  It can also read and interpolate model gridded data files to generate customized messages.  WEATHER supports data access by state, station ID, city name, user-defined alias, WMO header, or any combination thereof, and the data can be searched and filtered in numerous ways.  Output can be sent to printers, files, and the terminal.  Additionally, the software is easily extensible: new data forms can be accessed, often without adding any code or recompiling.

Supercomputing

Mass Storage System for File-Systems

A central archive that stores data used by research models to provide "file-system" service to teraflops computing systems; stores and moves whole file systems from archival storage to on-line storage devices, and then provides clients with raw block access to the staged file system.  A file system is a self-contained, self-defining hierarchical collection of files (which may be spread over multiple storage media or devices, but which can be accessed as a single unit).  Upon running an application program (e.g., climate model), huge data files are accessed from archive as if they were locally stored and the Mass Storage System treats it as a single bit file, while the user sees it as a system of files. Will be written under UNIX, transportable down to workstation/PC/network level; could back up an entire network.

Multipipeline Multiprocessor

Relates to pipelining or vectorization of a multiprocessor computer system.  As computer systems are developed with a very large array of parallel processors (e.g., "hypercube"), it is becoming increasingly difficult to manage interprocessor communications. For maximum efficiency it is desirable to provide one "word" to each processor during each cycle. The Multipipeline Multiprocessor provides multi-wire communication, or the ability to transmit on all wires simultaneously via a "double crossbar network" with communications being under program control.  It uses parallel algorithms for a known set of communications tasks required by FORTRAN (or C) programs.  Algorithms are implemented in multiple pipelines on a multiprocessor system for the specific communication task of "partial index reversal".  In this type of function, communications tasks are defined by FORTRAN subscripts. Code that has been optimized for a single pipeline processor will also be optimized for the Multipipeline Multiprocessor, and any FORTRAN program that will vectorize on a single processor will multivectorize on the Multipipeline Multiprocessor.

Laboratory Instrumentation

Improved Cryofocusing Device 

Existing technology heats a cryogenic trap with electricity resulting in a 2-6 second delay in heating the trap.  This improvement uses a special system trap resulting in a 1-2 second delay in heating, less energy consumption, and improved accuracy.

Miscellaneous

Balloon Ice Crystal Replicator

Instrumentation that provides a continuous vertical record of cirrus cloud microphysics and their radiative properties.  A balloon-borne instrument forms replicas of cloud particles in a vertical profile as it ascends through a cloud.  A radiosonde provides accompanying meteorological measurements.  Subsequent microphotography and quantitative analysis of the record provides unprecedented profile information on cloud particle shapes, number concentrations, and size spectra.  Provides a unique and important means of assessing cloud microphysical composition with the accuracy and resolution necessary to consider crucial questions relating to the role of clouds in affecting global climate.

Constant Flow Pump Sensor System

Flow rate is adjusted via pulse width modulated power to the pump.  Uses a differential pressure transducer to sense pressure at the Venturi and adjusts flow rate depending on desired flow.  Compensates for factors that affect flow rate, such as low battery voltage, variations in flow restriction, and mechanical wear.  Can be used with both liquids and gases.  System is compact, precise and low cost.

Flux Measurement Technique

A technique for measuring the fluxes of chemical constituents.  Samples representing small distances in space are collected and preserved long enough to be processed by slow-responding detectors, which are much less expensive than very fast sensors.  A second technique for calculating trace gas surface fluxes in the convective boundary layer may make it possible to make large area surveys of trace gas surface fluxes using airborne or satellite remote profilers.

Methane Trace Sampler

Utilizes an internal tracer fed to an animal to measure direct emissions of metabolic gases, including methane and CO2. Detection system (which may take the form of an infrared absorption instrument attached to the neck or back of the animal) monitors trace gas fluxes and transmits the data back to a personal computer.  Internal tracer system allows a precise determination of metabolic gas production in animals under diverse conditions, without having to keep them in an enclosed room to conduct a study.  Also allows a more precise determination of dietary conversion efficiency and more precise estimates of the amount of methane introduced into the atmosphere by ruminant animals to more accurately determine the impact on global atmospheric changes.

Square-Cone Parachute

An extremely reliable pyramidal shaped parachute made of lightweight ripstop nylon.  Air-permeable mesh at the point and around the perimeter allows for stability, gradual deceleration, and low opening shock load to the attached cargo. Has only one riser line so strings do not tangle during descent.  Currently used for the deployment of lightweight dropsondes.

Video Camera

High speed, for Advanced Stokes Polarimeter (ASP); the camera system electronics allow a high digitizing precision, high readout rate, and a low system noise level; uses a plurality of analog-to-digital converters to obtain a higher bit definition; also uses an optical fiber coupling for isolation.

Video Ice Particle Sampler

An aircraft-mounted instrument which first collects cloud particles then images them and records them on videotape.  It has collected ice particles as small as 5 microns and is an important complement to the 2D-C imaging probes which provide information on much larger particles.  Provides unique and important means of assessing cloud microphysical composition with the accuracy and resolution necessary to consider crucial questions relating to the role of clouds in affecting global climate.