DESCRIPTION OF THE FORT.40 FILES (input files for stats and NN training): Date: 5 Jan 2000 The SSAP (Severe Storm Analysis Package), which includes the NSSL MDA (Mesocyclone Detection Algorithm) and TDA (Tornado Detection Algorithm) has been run on a number of cases in which ground truth of tornadoes or severe weather exists. This files describes each field (I8 format) in the fort.40 files that the NSSL SSAP produces for MDA and TDA. The output contains info from every type of 3D circulation, ranging from mesocyclone and mesocyclone-related circulations, tornadic vortex signature circulations, and tornadic-mesocyclone circulations. There are two truth numbers, the first for tornado ground truth, and the second for severe weather ground truth. The values are (0 = no truth, 1 = prediction...within time window [see below], 2 = truth). Tornado and severe wind+tornado truth values are in the 39th and 40th columns respectively Tornado and severe weather ground truth are based on temporal and spatial proximity. If there is a tornado or severe weather reported between the beginning and ending of the volume scan, and the report is within reasonable distance of a circulation detection (input manually), then the ground truth value are given as 2. If a circulation detection falls within the predicition "time window" of -20 to +6 of the ground truth report duration, then the ground truth value are given a 1. All other circulations are given as 0 to correspond to no ground truth. Tornadoes or severe weather not detected by the SSAP are unscored. The lastest version of SSAP (3.9) will not include the NSE fields. Thus for each detection, there are 120 numbers given in 120I8 format. Also, the BWER fields are left blank until an external BWER algorithm is run and integrated with these data. Also note that 103rd field is set to 1 when a detection is in a "deletion zone", which in most instances, is a part of the radar domain over the ocean or some other large body of water. These detections should NOT be inlcuded in statistics, as they are unverifiable. Here is a list of the parameters for each MDA or TDA detection. If an MDA and TDA detection are paired due to a proximity check, then the detection info for both detections are combined as one line. Values in the brackets are the minimum and maximum value expected. 1. Date (MMDDYY) [010100-123199] 2. Time (HHMMSS) [000000-235959] 3. Meso ID [1-999] 4. TVS ID [1-26] 5. Meso Azimuth (deg) [0-360] 6. Meso Range (km) [0-230] 7. Circulation type (1=meso, 2=torn, 3=tormes) [1-3] 8. Meso base (m) [0-12000] 9. Meso depth (m) [0-13000] 10. Meso strength rank [0-25] 11. Meso low-level diameter (m) [0-15000] 12. Meso maximum diameter (m) [0-15000] 13. Meso height of maximum diameter (m) [0-12000] 14. Meso low-level rotational velocity (m/s) [0-65] 15. Meso maximum rotational velocity (m/s) [0-65] 16. Meso height of maximum rotational velocity (m) [0-12000] 17. Meso low-level shear (m/s/km) [0-175] 18. Meso maximum shear (m/s/km) [0-175] 19. Meso height of maximum shear (m) [0-12000] 20. Meso low-level gate-to-gate velocity difference (m/s) [0-130] 21. Meso maximum gate-to-gate velocity difference (m/s) [0-130] 22. Meso height of maximum gate-to-gate velocity difference (m) [0-12000] 23. Meso core base (m) [0-12000] 24. Meso core depth (m) [0-9000] 25. Meso age (min) [0-200] 26. Meso strength index (MSI) wghtd by avg density of intgrtd lyr [0-13000] 27. Meso strength index (MSIr) "rank" [0-25] 28. Meso relative depth (%) [0-100] 29. Meso low-level convergence (m/s) [0-70] 30. Meso mid-level convergence (m/s) [0-70] 31. TVS base (m) [0-8000] 32. TVS depth (m) [0-10000] 33. TVS low-level gate-to-gate velocity difference (m/s) [0-90] 34. TVS maximum gate-to-gate velocity difference (m/s) [0-90] 35. TVS height of maximum gate-to-gate velocity difference (m) [1-11000] 36. TVS low-level shear (m/s/km) [0-350] 37. TVS maximum shear (m/s/km) [0-350] 38. TVS height of maximum shear (m) [1-11000] 39. Tornado ground truth (0, 1, or 2) [1-2] 40. Severe weather ground truth (0, 1, or 2) [1-2] 41. NSSL mesocyclone classification (0, 1, or 2) [0-2] 42. NWS mesocyclone classification (0, 1, or 2) [0-2] 43. PL mesocyclone classification (0, 1, or 2) [0-2] 44. Low-topped mesocyclone classification (0, 1, or 2) [0-2] 45. Probability of Tornado from Neural Network (%) [0-100] 46. Probability of Severe Weather from Neural Network (%) [0-100] 47. F-scale of tornado, or wind speed of severe event. [0-5] 48. Meso CAPE (J/kg) [ignore] 49. Meso SREH (J/kg) [ignore] 50. Meso Vertically-integrated rotational velocity (m/s) [0-40] 51. Meso Vertically-integrated Shear (m/s/km) [0-100] 52. Meso Vertically-integrated gate-to-gate vel. diff. (m/s) [0-60] 53. Meso Vertically-integrated Rasmussen convergence [ignore] 54. Meso Vertically-integrated Rasmussen rotation [ignore] 55. Meso TREND base (m) [-12000-12000] 56. Meso TREND depth (m) [-13000-13000] 57. Meso TREND strength rank [-25-25] 58. Meso TREND low-level diameter (m) [-15000-15000] 59. Meso TREND maximum diameter (m) [-15000-15000] 60. Meso TREND height of maximum diameter (m) [-12000-12000] 61. Meso TREND low-level rotational velocity (m/s) [-65-65] 62. Meso TREND maximum rotational velocity (m/s) [-65-65] 63. Meso TREND height of maximum rotational velocity (m) [-12000-12000] 64. Meso TREND low-level shear (m/s/km) [-175-175] 65. Meso TREND maximum shear (m/s/km) [-175-175] 66. Meso TREND height of maximum shear (m) [-12000-12000] 67. Meso TREND low-level gate-to-gate velocity difference (m/s) [-130-130] 68. Meso TREND maximum gate-to-gate velocity difference (m/s) [-130-130] 69. Meso TREND height of maximum gate-to-gate velocity difference (m) [-12000-12000] 70. Meso TREND strength index (MSI) wghtd by avg density of intgrtd lyr [-13000-13000] 71. Meso TREND strength index (MSIr) "rank" [-25-25] 72. Meso TREND relative depth (%) [-100-100] 73. Meso TREND low-level convergence (m/s) [-70-70] 74. Meso TREND mid-level convergence (m/s) [-70-70] 75. Meso TREND Vertically-integrated rotational velocity (m/s) [-40-40] 76. Meso TREND Vertically-integrated Shear (m/s/km) [-100-100] 77. Meso TREND Vertically-integrated gate-to-gate vel. diff. (m/s) [-60-60] 78. Meso TREND Vertically-integrated Rasmussen convergence [ignore] 79. Meso TREND Vertically-integrated Rasmussen rotation [ignore] 80. TVS Tornado Strength Index (TSI) [?-?] 81. TVS CAPE (J/kg) [ignore] 82. TVS SREH (J/kg) [ignore] 83. TVS TREND base (m) [-8000-8000] 84. TVS TREND depth (m) [-10000-10000] 85. TVS TREND low-level gate-to-gate velocity difference (m/s) [-90-90] 86. TVS TREND maximum gate-to-gate velocity difference (m/s) [-90-90] 87. TVS TREND ht of max gate-to-gate velocity difference (m) [-11000-11000] 88. TVS TREND low-level shear (m/s/km) [-350-350] 89. TVS TREND maximum shear (m/s/km) [-350-350] 90. TVS TREND height of maximum shear (m) [-11000-11000] 91. TVS TREND Tornado Strength Index (TSI) [?-?] 92. TVS Azimuth (deg) [0-360] 93. TVS Range (km) [0-150] 94. TVS Latitude (deg) [-102896-999000] 95. TVS Longitude (deg) [-104927-999000] 96. Meso Latitude (deg) [26238-46887] 97. Meso Longitude (deg) [-121949--74907] 98. Meso TREND Delta-V slope [-999-999] 99. Meso vortex classification code [1-5] 100. Volume Coverage Pattern (VCP) [11, 21] 101. Meso Integrated Rotational Strength (IRS) index (NWS method - add up 2D values) [2185-51790] 102. Meso Integrated Rotational Strength (IRS) index (MSI method - trapezoidal integration divided by depth of integration) [0-7940] 103. Deletion zone code (1=do NOT use detection for stats or training) 104. BWER Overall Confidence (0-100%) 105. BWER Confidence that it is a BWER (0-100%) 106. BWER Confidence that it is least a marginal BWER (0-100%) 107. BWER Minimum value (dBZ) 108. BWER Average value (dBZ) 119. BWER Minimum surrounding value (dBZ) 110. BWER Average surrounding value (dBZ) 111. BWER Strength of the gradient (dBZ*10) 112. BWER Maximum cap (dBZ) 113. BWER Average cap of this 2D slice (dBZ) 114. BWER Height of this 2D slice (km*10) 115. BWER Vertical extent (km*10) 116. BWER Average reflectivity below the BWER (dBZ*10) 117. BWER Tracking (from previous volume scan) confidence (0-100%) 118. BWER Area (km**2) 119. BWER Distance from detection to BWER (m). 120. Unused.