9.6.3 Standard Operating Procedures
Standard
operating procedures (SOPs) should be developed that are specific to the
operations at a given site. The purpose of an SOP is to spell out operating
and QC procedures with the ultimate goal of maximizing data quality and data
capture rates. Operations should be performed
according to a set of well defined, written SOPs with all actions documented
in logs and on prepared forms. SOPs
should be written in such a way that if problems are encountered, instructions
are provided on actions to be taken. At a minimum, SOPs should address the following issues:
- Installation,
setup, and checkout
- Site
operations and calibrations
- Operational
checks and preventive maintenance
- Data
collection protocols
- Data
validation steps
- Data
archiving
9. UPPER-AIR MONITORING
9.1 Fundamentals
9.1.1 Upper-Air Meteorological Variables
9.1.2 Radiosonde Sounding System
9.1.3 Doppler Sodar
9.1.4 Radar Wind Profiler
9.1.5 RASS
9.2 Performance Characteristics
9.2.1 Definition of Performance Specifications
9.2.2 Performance Characteristics of Radiosonde Sounding Systems
9.2.3 Performance Characteristics of Remote Sensing Systems
9.3 Monitoring Objectives and Goals
9.3.1 Data Quality Objectives
9.4 Siting and Exposure
9.5 Installation and Acceptance Testing
9.6 Quality Assurance and Quality Control
9.6.1 Calibration Methods
9.6.2 System and Performance Audits
9.6.3 Standard Operating Procedures
9.6.4 Operational Checks and Preventive Maintenance
9.6.5 Corrective Action and Reporting
9.6.6 Common Problems Encountered in Upper-Air Data Collection
9.7 Data Processing and Management (DP&M)
9.7.1 Overview of Data Products
9.7.2 Steps in DP&M
9.7.3 Data Archiving
9.8 Recommendations for Upper-Air Data Collection