Patent ID: 7365673
Filing Date: 2008-04-29
Classification: G01S,Y02A

Abstract:
1. A method, comprising: receiving weather radar reflectivity data; converting the weather radar reflectivity data to an image using thresholds; tracing contours within the image; selectively extracting control points around the traced contours, wherein the control points represent turning points within the traced contours, and wherein each control point is selectively extracted by averaging points along a particular traced contour line to obtain a smooth curve and comparing each point on the particular traced contour line to smooth curve points on the smooth curve to acquire deviations and when the deviations are less than or equal to one pixel identifying zero-crossing points there from and when a particular point on the particular traced contour line lies between two consecutive zero-crossing points and has a maximum predefined distance from the smooth curve identifying that particular point as one of the control points that is selectively extracted; transmitting the control points as a compressed version of the weather radar reflectivity data to a recipient; receiving the control points and the thresholds by the recipient; reconstructing the contours from the control points, by the recipient; and displaying at least one region defined by the contours corresponding to a specific threshold.