(qm)

Table 7.   Code table for observation quality markers (last revised 1/30/2002). 
  
Quality Marker      Definition
        
        0           All steps: Keep (always assimilate).  Applies to pressure, height, wind, temperature, specific humidity,
                    rainfall rate, precipitable water and cloud top pressure.

        1           All steps: Good.  Applies to pressure, height, wind, temperature, specific humidity, rainfall rate, precipitable
                    water and cloud top pressure. 
        
        2           All steps: Neural or not checked (default).  Applies to pressure, height, wind, temperature, specific humidity,
                    rainfall rate, precipitable water and cloud top pressure.
        
        3           All steps: Suspect.  Applies to pressure, height, wind, temperature, specific humidity, rainfall rate,
                    precipitable water and cloud top pressure.

      4-15          All steps: Rejected (don't assimilate), as defined below:
                  
        4           Step OIQC:  An observation with pre-existing quality marker 0 (keep) is flagged.  Applies to pressure,
                    height, wind, temperature, specific humidity and precipitable water

        5           Step OIQC:  An observation with pre-existing quality marker 1 (good) is flagged.  Applies to pressure, height,
                    wind, temperature, specific humidity and precipitable water.
 
        6           Step OIQC:  An observation with pre-existing quality marker 2 (neutral/default) is flagged.  Applies to pressure,                                height, wind, temperature, specific humidity and precipitable water.
 
        7           Step OIQC:  An observation with pre-existing quality marker 3 (suspect) is flagged.  Applies to pressure, height,
                    wind, temperature, specific humidity and precipitable water.
                  
        8           Step PREVENT: An observed pressure on any level is > 100 mb below model (guess) surface pressure.  Applies to
                    pressure, height, wind, temperature and specific humidity.

                    Step PREVENT: An observed pressure is < 0.  Applies to pressure, height, wind, temperature and specific humidity. 
                    Step VIRTMP: A virtual temperature is generated from a specific humidity observation with a rejected quality  
                    marker (> 3).  Applies to temperature.
                  
        9           Step PREVENT: An observed surface pressure is > 100 mb above or below model (guess) surface pressure.
                    Applies to pressure, height, wind, temperature and specific humidity.

                    Step PREVENT: An observation error is missing (applies only for AVN, FNL and CDAS networks).  Applies 
                    to pressure, height, wind, temperature, specific humidity and precipitable water. 

                    Step PREVENT: A non-pressure observation fails a limit check.  Applies to pressure, height, wind, 
                    temperature, specific humidity and precipitable water. 

                    Step PREVENT: A moisture observation is above 300 mb.  Applies to moisture.
                
       10           Step SYNDATA: A non-synthetic bogus mass report is in the vicinity of a tropical storm.  Applies to pressure
                    (only) on all levels of the mass report. 

                    Step PREPACQC: An AIREP or PIREP aircraft report in Table A entry AIRCFT is used to generate a superob report.  
                    Applies to wind and temperature. 

                    Data producer: A wind profiler report in Table A entry PROFLR fails both median and shear checks performed 
                    by NOAA/FSL.  Applies to wind.
                
       11           NCEP/SDM: An observation with pre-existing quality marker 3 (suspect) is flagged.  Applies to pressure, height,
                    wind, temperature and specific humidity.  This is currently not used.                                        

                    Data producer: A wind profiler report in Table A entry PROFLR does not pass median and shear checks performed 
                    by NOAA/FSL (results are inconclusive).  Applies to wind.
                
       12           NCEP/SDM: A non-profiler observation is on the reject list.  Applies to pressure, height, wind, temperature
                    and specific humidity.

                    Data producer: A wind profiler report in Table A entry PROFLR fails shear check performed by NOAA/FSL, but 
                    passes median check.  Applies to wind.
                
       13           All automated quality control steps: A non-wind profiler observation failed one or more checks.  Applies to
                    pressure, height, wind, temperature, specific humidity and precipitable water.

                    Step CQCPROF: A wind profiler report in Table A entry PROFLR failed one or more checks.  Applies to wind. 

                    Data producer: A wind profiler report in Table A entry PROFLR fails median check performed by NOAA/FSL, 
                    but passes shear check.  Applies to wind.
       
       14           NCEP/SDM: An observation is assigned a purge flag.  Applies to pressure, height, wind, temperature and specific
                    humidity. 
                
       15           Step PREPRO: An observation is flagged for non-use by the analysis.  Applies to pressure, height, wind,
                    temperature, specific humidity, rainfall rate, precipitable water and cloud top pressure.