DLOC Course Outline
NOTE: The outline provided here is for the FY13 version of DLOC. The FY14 version of DLOC is currently under development and should be available in October 2013.
This outline provides a complete list of all the DLOC Topics, what materials they cover, and how long approximately it should take to complete them. In addition, there information about each Topics content, delivery method, and documentation. DLOC students need to use the NWS Learning Center to ensure that all completion requirements are met for each section of the course.
DLOC Outline
| DLOC Orientation |
- Brief Description: This lesson provides an overview of the course to students and local facilitators. Each section of the course will be touched
- Delivery Method: Teletraining
- Approximate Completion Time: 1 hour
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| Topic 1: Radar & Warning Applications Using AWIPS |
- Brief Description: Effective warning forecasters need to be proficient at using AWIPS. This lesson covers a series of topics and tasks directly related to using AWIPS to investigate radar data and during warning operations.
- Delivery Method: Student guide (hardcopy) and on-line task descriptions
- Approximate Completion Time: 15-30 hours
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| Topic 2: Introduction to the WSR-88D System |
- Brief Description: This lesson is an overview of all of the main components and subcomponents of the WSR-88D system. In order to effectively operate the system and produce the best quality data, it is important to understand the basics of these six components and how data flows through the entire system.
- Delivery Method:On-line Training Module
- Approximate Completion Time: 1 hour
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| Topic 3: Principles of Meteorological Doppler Radar |
- Brief Description: This topic consists of six lessons that cover a variety of scientific principles about how Doppler radar in general, and the WSR-88D in particular, work. These lessons will cover many technical details of how the WSR-88D collects data, quality controls it, and processes it into base and derived products.
- Delivery Method: On-line web module (Lesson 1) & Asynchronous instructor-led web modules (Lessons 2-8)
- Approximate Completion Time: 9 hours
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| Topic 4: Velocity Interpretation |
- Brief Description: This topic consists of two lessons on the proper interpretation of radial Doppler velocity patterns. These lessons will present how to interpret Doppler velocity patterns under uniform, non-uniform, ambiguous, and meteorologically complex conditions.
- Delivery Method: Asynchronous instructor-led web modules
- Approximate Completion Time: 90 minutes
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| Topic 5: Base and Derived Products |
- Brief Description: This topic will present the suite of Base and Derived Products and their applications. Also presented will be relevant information on the algorithms that generate the various products and displays.
- Delivery Method: Asynchronous instructor-led web modules (Lessons 1-24) and Teletraining (Lesson 25)
- Approximate Completion Time: 12-14 hours
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Introduction and Background
NOTE: Lessons 1 & 2 are combined into a single presentation. The link for Lesson 2 above will take you to the spot in the presentation where Lesson 2 begins
Base Products
Reflectivity Derived Products
Velocity Derived Products
Dual-Polarization Derived Products
Precipitation Estimation Products
NOTE: There are six exams that cover different parts of Topic 5. The breakdown of what lessons each exam covers is as follows:
- Exam #1: Lessons 1-10
- Exam #2: Lessons 11-16
- Exam #3: Lessons 17-19
- Exam #4: Lessons 20-21
- Exam #5: Lessons 22-24
- Exam #6: Lesson 25
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| Topic 6: System Operations and Control |
- Brief Description: This topic provides an understanding of overall WSR-88D operations and basic familiarization with the Master System Control Function (MSCF) and the Radar Product Generator (RPG) Human Control Interface (HCI).
- Delivery Method: On-line training modules
- Approximate Completion Time: 2 hours
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| Topic 7: Convective Storm Structure and Evolution |
- Brief Description: This topic describes some important thermodynamic and kinematic parameters developed to evaluate convective severe weather potential. The instruction also treats the fundamental relationships between shear and instability with respect to convective storm type, focusing both on recent observations and numerical simulations of storms. Next are typical environments of weakly sheared and strongly sheared convection, recognition and interpretation of severe storm signatures, and how severe weather signatures are manifested by particular severe weather hazards.
- Delivery Method: On-line web module (prerequisites), asynchronous instructor-led web modules (Lessons 1-18), and Teletraining (Lesson 19)
- Approximate Completion Time: 10-12 hours
- Pre-requisite:
- Capabilities of Thermodynamics and Kinematic Severe Weather Parameters
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- DLOC Topic 7, Lesson 1 : Fundamental Relationships Between Shear and Buoyancy on Convective Storm Structure and Type
- DLOC Topic 7, Lesson 2: Ordinary Cell Convection
- DLOC Topic 7, Lesson 3: Severe Storm Updraft Identification
- DLOC Topic 7, Lesson 4: Updraft Detection Using Dual-Polarization
- DLOC Topic 7, Lesson 5: Single Cell Downburst Detection
- DLOC Topic 7, Lesson 6: Severe Hail Detection
- DLOC Topic 7, Lesson 7: Supercell Dynamics and Motion
- DLOC Topic 7, Lesson 8: Supercell Morphology: Radar Reflectivity Characteristics
- DLOC Topic 7, Lesson 9: Supercell Morphology: Velocity Structure
- DLOC Topic 7, Lesson 10: Supercell Morphology: Dual-Polarization Characteristics
- DLOC Topic 7, Lesson 11: Supercell Archetypes
- DLOC Topic 7, Lesson 12: Analyzing Tornadic Scale Signatures
- DLOC Topic 7, Lesson 13: Tornado Hazards
- DLOC Topic 7, Lesson 14: Multicell Archetypes
- DLOC Topic 7, Lesson 15: Multicell Longevity and Severity
- DLOC Topic 7, Lesson 16: Multicell Motion
- DLOC Topic 7, Lesson 17: Rear-Inflow Jets in Multicells
- DLOC Topic 7, Lesson 18: Line-End Vortices and Bow Echoes
- DLOC Topic 7, Lesson 19: Multicell Severe Wind Hazards
- DLOC Topic 7, Lesson 20: Flash Flood Meteorology
- DLOC Topic 7, Lesson 21: Flash Flood Hydrology
- DLOC Topic 7, Lesson 22 Presentation Download: Application and Case Study
- Documentation Download: Topic 7 Student Guide
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| Topic 8: Storm-Based Warning (SBW) Fundamentals |
- Brief Description:This topic provides the fundamental knowledge and skills required to issue effective storm-based warnings. Training includes skills for basic proficiency in using some AWIPS storm interrogation applications such as WarnGen, and recommended strategies for polygon creation and placement.
- Delivery Method:WES Exercises (Lesson 1) and Asynchronous instructor-led web modules (Lessons 2-12)
- Approximate Completion Time: 3-4 hours
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- DLOC Topic 8, Lesson 1: Storm Interrogation Primers
- DLOC Topic 8, Lesson 2: TOR for Isolated Tornado Threat
- DLOC Topic 8, Lesson 3: TOR for QLCS Tornado Threat
- DLOC Topic 8, Lesson 4: TOR/SVR for Backbuilding (Training Storms) Situations
- DLOC Topic 8, Lesson 5: SVR for Pulse Storms (Low Shear)
- DLOC Topic 8, Lesson 6: SVR for Squall Line System
- DLOC Topic 8, Lesson 7: Storm-Based Warning Special Considerations
- DLOC Topic 8, Lesson 8: 2 TORs in Close Proximity
- DLOC Topic 8, Lesson 9: Non-Linear Motion
- DLOC Topic 8, Lesson 10: Merging Storms
- DLOC Topic 8, Lesson 11: Limiting the Number of Counties in Warnings
- DLOC Topic 8, Lesson 12: Pathcasts in Storm-Based Warnings
- Documentation Download: Topic 8 Student Guide
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| Topic 9: DLOC Workshop |
- Brief Description: This workshop is a four-and-a-half day in-residence training that completes DLOC. This workshop, which is held at the National Weather Center (in Norman, OK), gives DLOC students the opportunity to apply the content they learned about in the previous seven topics during a variety of exercises and simulations, as well as participate in several presentations about current and future operational applications, tools, and research.
- Delivery Method: In-Residence Workshop
- Approximate Completion Time: 36 hours (4.5 days)
- Documentation Download: DLOC Workshop Student Guide
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