Interactive Radar Information System

The system includes three MRL5-IRIS radar stations, located in the regional directorates: Plovdiv – Command post in Golyam Chardak; Sliven – Command post in Staro selo, Vratsa – Command post in Bardarski geran; and an information centre in Sofia, fitted up with IRIS Analysis and 6 remote posts with IRIS Display. The radars (S-band) are modernised MRL-5 stations with Doppler transmitters and IRIS system of Sigmet-Vaisala. MRL5-IRIS is a modern Doppler radar system for automatic volumetric scanning of the atmosphere and data archiving. Real time volumetric radar information is transmitted to other command posts and the information centre in Sofia.
The information received from the three radars is processed in real time and transmitted to users.

COMP – composite product of data from the three radar stations (CAPPI, TOPS, SRI, RAIN1, SHEAR)

	CAPPI (Constant Altitude Plan Position) The product displays the radar reflectivity on a selected constant height. There is visualization for a single radar.
	TOPS The TOPS product is a display image of the height of the highest occurrence of a selectable threshold dBZ contour. There is visualization for a single radar.
	SRI (Surface Rainfall Intensity) The product shows the Surface Rainfall Intensity as relationship between the radar reflectivity and rain intensity Z=aRb is used. There is visualization for a single radar.
	RAIN1 The product obtains an estimate of the hourly rain and displayed results. There is visualization for a single radar.
	SHEAR The SHEAR product can detect wind shear in the atmosphere. The high values of wind shear used for indication of variety of dangerous phenomena: tornado, microbursts, etc.

Products for display of information from single radars in range 150 km.
	XSECT The product shows a range-height representation or vertical “slice” of a radar reflectivity.
	MAX The MAX product displays horizontal maximum projection. The product provides an easy-to-interpret presentation of the echo height and intensity of radar reflectivity in the clouds. The maximum of radar reflectivity is determined with horizontal and two vertical projections — East–West and North–South.
	HMAX The HMAX product displays the height of the maximum reflectivity.
	TRACK TRACK product shows the projected motion for storm features The TRACK product consists of a series of track points connected by lines, or “tracks.”
	FCAST The product is used to project other products forward in time
	VIL (Vertically Integrated Liquid) The VIL product is excellent indicator of severe storm activity, especially with regard to the rainfall potential of a storm. The output shows the estimated precipitation (in millimeters) contained within a atmosphere layer.
	RAINN The IRIS product estimate rain quantity for the last N hours hourly rain and displayed results.
	VVP (Velocity Volume Processing) The Velocity Volume Processing algorithm (VVP) obtains the following parameters averaged over a volume centered about the radar: • Horizontal wind speed and direction; • Horizontal divergence (related to vertical air motions); • Particle vertical velocity (airspeed and particle fallspeed combined) • Horizontal deformation and axis of dilatation (related to frontal forcing) • Average reflectivity
	WIND The WIND product computes the horizontal wind vectors (the horizontal wind field) using the radial velocity information.
	WARN The product provides warning of dangerous weather phenomena as hail, floods, lightning, turbulence, etc.)

	PPI The PPI product shows the distribution of the radar reflectivity on a constant elevation angle surface — the classic radar display.
	XSECT The product shows a range-height representation or vertical “slice” of a radar reflectivity.
	HMAX The HMAX product displays the height of the maximum reflectivity.
	WARN The product provides warning of dangerous weather phenomena as hail, floods, lightning, turbulence, etc.)
	TRACK TRACK product shows the projected motion for storm features The TRACK product consists of a series of track points connected by lines, or “tracks.”
	FCAST The product is used to project other products forward in time.