RECURSIVE FILTER OBJECTIVE ANALYSIS OF METEOROLOGICAL FIELDS - APPLICATIONS TO NESDIS OPERATIONAL PROCESSING

A recursive filter objective analysis method is described. It is a ''successive approximation'' system with the particular feature of locally varying scaling, making it especially appropriate for dealing with inhomogeneous data. Attention is given to proper treatment of lateral boundaries, which permit its use in limited domains. This system provides estimates of input data quality that can be used for editing datasets before their distribution and for the weighting of data in application by other users. Two- and three-dimensional versions of the analysis operating on a Cartesian grid are used operationally at the National Environmental Satellite and Data Information Service. They are used both in the production of data and for quality control prior to dissemination. Examples of these applications are given.