Particle Tracking

Particle tracking is an investigation of the identification and tracking of targets in satellite or radar imagery, utilising John Crocker and Eric Week's Particle Tracking using IDL. Each image has been sectorised, contrast enhanced and filtered to locate the features (i.e. clouds or thunderstorms) to be tracked. Features are tracked from image to image with wind barbs or vectors plotted over the latest image to represent the recent motion of the clouds or the expected track of the thunderstorms.

Satellite Imagery

Each Bureau of Meteorology hourly satellite (IR) image has been divided into nine overlapping sectors, contrast enhanced and filtered to locate the features (i.e. clouds) to be tracked. Features are tracked from image to image with wind barbs plotted over the latest image to represent the recent motion of the clouds.

Image 1 : 1630 UTC 11 October 2006

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Image 2 : 1730 UTC 11 October 2006

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Image 3 : 1830 UTC 11 October 2006

Sector
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Track

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Radar Imagery

Each 10-minute radar image has been contrast enhanced and filtered to locate the features (i.e. thunderstorms) to be tracked. Features are tracked from image to image with vectors plotted over the latest image to represent the expected track of the thunderstorms.

Radar Image : 0420 UTC 2 November 2006 + Track
Severe Thunderstorm Warning : 3.30 pm 2 November 2006