Ever since meteorological observations on radar were first made widespread, the need for high-temporal resolution and comprehensive volumetric imagery of all three dimensions of weather phenomena has been a very high priority, due in large part to the fact that hazardous weather often happens in the span of seconds, and often in the lowest 1 kilometer of the atmosphere. In pursuit of better resolution in time, the NEXRAD network deploys several time-saving measures to accelerate data rates in these three dimensions, such as M.R.L.E. and MESO-SAILS, which can be bringing scan time down from 5–7 minutes to 2–3 minutes. In 2010, the University of Oklahoma's Advanced Radar Research Center began development of RaXPol, with a focus on rapid deployment and analysis of the atmosphere. By early 2011, RaXPol was being deployed in field campaigns across Tornado Alley, and has taken part in numerous NSF funded research projects and organizations, such as PECAN, TORUS, and IMPACTS.
