Python Indian Weather Radar Toolkit (pyiwr): An open-source Python library for processing, analyzing and visualizing weather radar data

Abstract

The Python Indian Weather Radar Toolkit, abbreviated as "pyiwr", is an open-source Python library tailored for the purpose of handling data from the Indian Doppler Weather Radar (DWR). This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the pyiwr, which serves as a toolkit to read, analyze, process, and visualize weather radar data. Apart from this, the toolkit offers a range of robust functions implementing various algorithms covering several aspects of the radar data processing and quality control that facilitate the manipulation and analysis of weather radar data. To demonstrate the practical applicability of pyiwr, various case studies are presented, focusing on processing raw reflectivity data (clutter correction), Quantitative Precipitation Estimation (QPE) using Z-R relationship and time-series analysis of reflectivity and rain intensity, both spatially as well as at a specific location, during various meteorological events. This module enhances the accessibility and compatibility of radar data, enabling researchers, weather forecasters, and hydrologists to efficiently work with DWR data (particularly Indian DWR) that fosters advancements in weather radar research and applications. The open availability of pyiwr's source code on GitHub ensures that researchers and practitioners can not only access the toolkit but also contribute to its ongoing development. © 2024 Elsevier B.V.