Nexrad.NET 1.1.1

Nexrad.NET

Nexrad.NET is a C# library created for the purpose of reading and processing NEXRAD Level 3 radar files.

Overview

Basic Usage

This library is pretty straightfoward in its usage. Here is a basic example of decoding a super resolution base reflectivity file:

BinaryReader reader = new(File.OpenRead("super_res_base_ref_file"));
Level3 level3 = new(ref reader);

Comparison

Level3 objects can be compared to check if they are the same radar data. This comparison can be done directly because the Level3 object is a record that does value based equality.

BinaryReader reader = new(File.OpenRead("super_res_base_ref_file"));
Level3 level3_1 = new(ref reader);
Level3 level3_2 = new(ref reader);
Console.WriteLine(level3_1 == level3_2_); // will output "true" because both of these contain the same radar data

Arguments

The Level3 object has different arguments. They are specified as:

Level3 level3 = new(
    ref reader, // binary reader, which is always required and is the only required arg. (must be passed as reference via ref keyword)
    processingStages = 0b111, // processing stages. see below for more details.
    textHeaderLength = -1, // the length of the text header, if known. default value is -1.
    guessFormat = true, // tells the object to try to guess the format and text header length. default value is true.
    enableDebuggingLogging = true // tells the object to output to console for logging reasons.
);

Unsupported Products

Currently, there are 4 unsupported products that may get support in the future. Those products are:

1. Storm Structure (code=62)
2. Melting Layer (code=166)
3. Digital Precipitation Array (code=81)
4. Supplemental Precipitation Data (code=82)

Processing Stages

The Level3 object has a processing stages argument which tells the class what parts of the product to decode. The value is structured as "0b111". This value is composed of 3 bits, each one telling the program what part to decode.

Basic overview of the bit stucture:

0b111
  ^^^
  |||
  ||⤷ Bit 3. Decode symbology block if set to 1.
  |⤷ Bit 2. Decode graphic block if set to 1.
  ⤷ Bit 1. Decode tabular block if set to 1.

Setting any of the bits to 0 will make that block not get processed. Can be used to save memory and processing time if you do not need the other blocks.