In 1985, the first Doppler weather radar to operate in Canada was established by the Research Directorate of the Atmospheric Environment Service (AES) at a site in King City, north of Toronto, Ontario. The initial thrust of the research program immediately recognized the advances Doppler observations would make in the operational sector and a system was devised to satisfactorily meet both needs. This paper describes the radar system, the techniques, the data processing and innovations developed to provide immediate intelligence to the data. The system was developed by adapting mainly commercial hardware and in-house software. The system factors that are significant for operational meteorological surveillance and analysis, the display form and formats, and the sample cases illustrating the impact of Doppler observations on both synoptic and mesocale analysis in all seasons complete the discussion. Significant factors, in both system parameters and meteorology, that impinge on the success of the Doppler radar program and its applications are summarized. There is sufficient maturity in the technology, display capabilities and meteorological knowledge to warrant network implementation. However, research and development is still needed to interpret and synthesize the voluminous amounts of available information. In particular, conceptual models of the kinematics of mesoscale systems need considerable development.
