HydroClass Classification Data

HydroClass echo identification results are reported as the HCLASS data type, which is managed similarly to other IRIS/RDA data types (for example, binary formatted RDA outputs and the IRIS archive data RAW).

The HCLASS data type is special in regards to the property of enumeration. The data values do not represent a continuum of measurements. For example, their arithmetic operations have no meaning, which calls for special approaches for the operations of interpolation and averaging which are often needed when the gate data are projected into IRIS products.

The HCLASS data consist of several bit segments of enumerated data, filled by the multiple HydroClass classification methods. A set of algorithms can be configured to run simultaneously, and provide complementary echo identification information for each bin. Digesting and presenting such rich information is a challenge to selection, but does provide opportunities for logically merging the classification results for best overall interpretation of data. IRIS product software includes extensions for computing IRIS HCLASS products as conveniently as other data types.