UPP content removal

Removal of Content Advisory - April 2024

Advisory to Unified Post Processing System (UPP) users: As of the beginning of April 2024, all support assets for Unified Post Processing System (UPP) will be removed from the DTC website. Users should download all reference materials of interest prior to April 2024.

Unified Post Processor (UPP) | System Architecture

Unified Post Processor Description 

The UPP interpolates output from the model's native grids to National Weather Service (NWS) standard levels (pressure, height, etc.) and standard output grids (AWIPS, Lambert Conformal, polar-stereographic, etc.) in NWS and World Meteorological Organization (WMO) GRIB2 format. There is also an option to output fields on the model's native vertical levels. 

Highlights

  • Produces products like those used operationally on the same operational grids
  • Can read and process GFS and LAM (Limited Area Model) data from FV3 dynamical core
  • Generates output in GRIB2 format
  • MPI parallel code
  • Produces hundreds of products such as:
    • T, Z, humidity, wind, cloud water, cloud ice, rain, and snow on isobaric levels
    • SLP + shelter level T, humidity, and wind fields
    • Precipitation-related fields
    • PBL-related fields
    • Diagnostic products (i.e. RH, CAPE, Vorticity)
    • Radiative/Surface fluxes
    • Cloud related fields
    • Aviation products
    • Satellite look-alike products

Synthetic Satellite Products

UPP incorporates the Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation (JCSDA) Community Radiative Transfer Model (CRTM) to compute model derived brightness temperature (TB) for various instruments and channels. This additional feature enables the generation of simulated satellite products such as:

  • Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)
  • Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSRE)
  • Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder (SSMIS)
  • Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSMI)
  • Multi-functional Transport Satellite (MTSAT2 and MTSAT1R)
  • Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI)
  • Indian Satellite Image (INSAT3D)

For CRTM documentation, refer to CRTM User Guide

UPP OVERVIEW

The UPP can be run inline, built as a library to be used by the model, and offline, built stand-alone and run separate from the model. The basic components of the offline UPP are shown in the schematic below.  

Schematic of the offline UPP components

UPP.X

This component performs the bulk of the post processing. Its functions include:

  • Vertical interpolation from model levels/surfaces to isobaric, height, and other levels/surfaces
  • Computing diagnostics from model data such as CAPE, relative humidity, radar reflectivities, etc.