APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONSTRUCTING A MOSAIC OF DATA

Apparatus and method combine, in real time, weather radar data in digital format from multiple radar sites into a mosaic covering a regional or national area (e.g., the continental United States). Such apparatus and method are implementable as computer software that can be run on a general purpose computer such as a personal computer. Preferably, a database of "lookup tables" are used to project individual radar data bins directly to a grid of the desired coordinate system for that mosaic. Using these lookup tables, each of a plurality of radar data bins is converted to a corresponding grid location or box in a mosaic image. While each radar data bin is mapped to a grid box for the mosaic, not every such grid box within the coverage area of the radar may receive such a data bin. Any resulting holes in the produced mosaic are then identified using yet another grid whose locations correspond to those of the mosaic but which instead provide information regarding the data then appearing in corresponding locations in that mosaic. Each such hole is then filed with data from the locationally closest data bin.