NORMAN—Weather radar technology developed at the University of Oklahoma’s Advanced Radar Research Center is being utilized in a new potentially life-saving research collaboration with Weathernews International, a Japanese forecasting company, and Nanowave Technologies Inc., a Canadian radio frequency electronics company. Both companies have locations on the OU Research Campus and have previously established individual research relationships with the ARRC in the field of weather radar.

”I have worked with both Weathernews and Nanowave for a long time and have the utmost respect for both companies. It’s great that OU was able to play a role in bringing together these two important partners and as a result jobs will be created in Oklahoma,” said Robert Palmer, executive director of the ARRC.

Over the past two years and in collaboration with the ARRC, Weathernews has been developing a new and innovative radar known as the Enthusiasm for Asia-Genesis Leading Edge radar. Weathernews will now move forward with the manufacture of the EAGLE radar by formalizing a research agreement with Nanowave for the manufacture of Weathernews weather radars over the coming years.

”This is the final stage of the radar development with out-of-the-box thinking. We are very lucky to have such good collaborative partners as the University of Oklahoma and Nanowave Technologies Inc., and we would like to express our appreciation to them. We intend that this EAGLE radar will bring a new value of radar observations to Asian regions. These radars will provide very dense observations in time and space. We hope that we shall make great contributions to various fields in Japan and Asian countries with the EAGLE radar,” said Chihito Kusabiraki, CEO of Weathernews, Inc.

The first prototype of the EAGLE radar was designed and developed at the ARRC, and OU has since been instrumental in bringing these companies together for the manufacture of the radar. Once the EAGLE radar is produced by Nanowave on the OU Research Campus, it will be deployed throughout Asia, particularly in regions where there are victims each year as a result of heavy thunderstorms. The project has the potential to contribute to the safety and well-being of people living in these areas.

”We consider it a privilege to have been selected by Weathernews and OU to bring the EAGLE radar into production in Norman, Oklahoma. This project builds on our multi-year research and development collaboration with OU’s Advanced Radar Research Center, while providing Nanowave with the opportunity to establish a very important strategic partnership with Weathernews,” said Justin Miller, CEO of Nanowave Technology Inc.

OU and Weathernews also will establish a scholarship for ARRC students for enhancing advanced research and development of radar technology.

ABOUT ADVANCED RADAR RESEARCH CENTER: The University of Oklahoma Advanced Radar Research Center is the largest academic radar program in the nation with over 120 students and faculty. The ARRC is located inside the 35,000 square foot, state-of-the-art Radar Innovations Laboratory on the OU Research Campus. The focus of the ARRC is on interdisciplinary education, leveraging a nationally-ranked meteorology program and aggressively growing engineering departments. For more information about the ARRC, visit arrc.ou.edu.

ABOUT WEATHERNEWS: The Japanese forecasting company with U.S. operations on the University of Oklahoma Research Campus moved to One Partners Place in 2004 when the only other building on the campus was the Stephenson Research and Technology Center. It was the first private company to locate to the campus and remains there to collaborate with OU scientists. Weathernews has 60 employees in Oklahoma, among whom are graduates of OU’s School of Meteorology. Learn more about Weathernews at global.weathernews.com.

ABOUT NANOWAVE: The Canadian radio frequency electronics firm established a research group near the Radar Innovations Laboratory on the OU Research Campus to continue its collaboration on the development of next-generation electromagnetic sensors. Nanowave, a Toronto-based company, builds extremely high-reliability radio frequency subsystems for a large percentage of the airborne weather radar and satellite communications markets. Nanowave is one of eight weather-related companies to locate on the OU Research Campus. Learn more about Nanowave at www.nanowavetech.com.