Towards the implementation of a fully operational HF coastal radar network operated by Puertos del Estado

Puertos del Estado has made noticeable efforts to articulate a HF coastal ocean radar network with the aim of strengthening its observational infrastructure. In recent years, four HF radar Codar SeaSonde systems have been deployed along the Spanish coastline. Active and planned development efforts to implement a fully operational radar network include: homogenization of maintenance practices, quality control checks, validation works with independent in-situ sensors, standardization of data access and development of customized visualization tools. A dedicated online website has been developed to operationally monitor radar system health in real time. This automated quality control application analyze a number of diagnose parameters to obtain estimates of their standard ranges and evaluate radar site performance according to them. Abrupt or gradual degradation and failure problems can be easily detected, triggering alerts for troubleshooting.