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At least 289 records · Page 16
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1994

Using Distributed Targets To Determine SAR Antenna Patterns

Improved method of determining radiation pattern of synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) antenna with respect to elevation-angle coordinate (angle of roll about flight path) devised. Essence of method is solving radar equation in such way as to enable extraction of antenna pattern from SAR images of uniform distributed targets. Needed because radiation pattern in flight can differ from that observed in laboratory test of antenna. Computations include subtraction of noise, test for uniformity, and least-squares estimate.

Freeman, Anthony↗
NASA NTRS1993

A radar altitude and line of sight attachment

This paper describes a method of overcoming much of the computational expense of finding radar altitude and determining lines of sight in flight simulations over databases built from polygons. Methods are described for quantizing polygonal databases and for searching through them quickly. Various tuning parameters are explained and run-time performance figures are offered.

Sansom, Russell↗
NASA NTRS2000

Radar Reflectivity of the Martian Polar Regions

Radar experiments provide a unique method of probing the surfaces and subsurfaces of planetary bodies. Information on surface and subsurface structures and properties can be extracted from radar data. There is a well developed history of radar investigations of the planet Mars, beginning with the first reports of variations of scattering properties as a function of martian longitude in the mid-1960's. Because of the rapid rotation of Mars, the standard technique of delay-doppler mapping cannot be used as effectively as it is on Mercury and Venus, making it a more difficult radar target. Techniques have been developed to overcome this difficulty, including an inversion technique to combine many doppler-only (CW) experiments from different viewing geometries into a map of surface reflectivity, and new random long-code techniques. These techniques still suffer from ambiguities, however. A third technique which does not suffer from these ambiguities is the combination of the powerful Goldstone transmitter with the VLA as the receiving instrument to create a combined radar imaging instrument. We have used this combined radar instrument to image the surface of Mars in 3.5-cm radar reflectivity during the 1988, 1992/93, and 1999 oppositions. During the 1988 experiments, the residual south polar ice cap (RSPIC) was the brightest radar reflector on the planet - intrinsically brighter than even the Tharsis lava flows. This was quite an unexpected result. In contrast, during the 1992/93 experiments, the residual north polar ice cap (RNPIC) was not nearly so bright, and in fact showed no enhancement at all, This was puzzling, given the 1988 results for the RSPIC. We attributed the lack of a radar reflection enhancement to a combination of three effects: the geometry was different; the season was different; and the intrinsic scattering from the residual ice caps was different. The 1999 experiments provided a chance to test the relative importance of these three effects, since the RNPIC would be visible in a geometry very similar to the RSPIC in 1988, and the season would also be very similar. Preliminary reduction of the data taken in 1999 shows that the RNPIC did in fact show a radar reflectivity enhancement, but that it was still not as bright as the RSPIC in 1988. Details regarding the radar reflectivity of the residual ice caps, as well as the surrounding polar layered terrains (in light of our radar reflectivity data) will be discussed. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

Butler, B. J.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Simulation of ocean SAR images via phase history generation

A method for simulating an ocean synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) image is illustrated for a simple internal wave current pattern. The method calculates both the amplitude image and the radar signal history. The simulation model used consists of six stages. In the first stage, the full wave spectrum in two spatial coordinates is calculated from the wind speed and direction using the action spectral density equation. In the second stage, the pixel size is selected and used as the basis for dividing the spectrum into large and small scale motions. Realizations for the large-scale ocean surface height and velocity are then calculated. In the third stage, the sensor wavelength and geometry are used to calculate the small scale statistics (radar cross section, coherence time, root-mean square (RMS), radial velocity and RMS slope). In the fourth stage, an autoregressive method is used to generate a realization of the surface reflectivity history that is consistent with the radial velocity and the radial velocity variance. In the fifth stage, the signal history is generated by summing the reflectivities at the proper times with the appropriate antenna weighting function for the SAR. As a consequence of this process, speckle is automatically included in the signal. In the final stage, the SAR image can be created by using any of the traditional ways to process the signal history, including variable focusing and multilook processing.

Bennett, John R.↗
NASA NTRS1996

New results from mapping Antarctica at high resolution from radar altimeter data

The limits of the altimeter data evaluation were analyzed using geostatistical methods. It is often argued that satellite radar altimeter data over ice can not be used to map ice surfaces with a slope exceeding 0.5 deg. The maps presented, obtained from the Geosat satellite geodetic mission, concern the Antarctica north of 72.1 deg South. The grids constructed from other satellite observations facilitate the analysis of the changes in the Antarctic ice stream/ice shelf systems. The evaluation was applied to the Lambert Glacier/Amery Ice Shelf system.

Matassa, Michael↗
NASA NTRS2011

Wavelet Filter Banks for Super-Resolution SAR Imaging

This paper discusses Innovative wavelet-based filter banks designed to enhance the analysis of super resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images using parametric spectral methods and signal classification algorithms, SAR finds applications In many of NASA's earth science fields such as deformation, ecosystem structure, and dynamics of Ice, snow and cold land processes, and surface water and ocean topography. Traditionally, standard methods such as Fast-Fourier Transform (FFT) and Inverse Fast-Fourier Transform (IFFT) have been used to extract Images from SAR radar data, Due to non-parametric features of these methods and their resolution limitations and observation time dependence, use of spectral estimation and signal pre- and post-processing techniques based on wavelets to process SAR radar data has been proposed. Multi-resolution wavelet transforms and advanced spectral estimation techniques have proven to offer efficient solutions to this problem.

Sheybani, Ehsan O.↗
NASA NTRS1972

GEOS-2 C-band radar system project. Spectral analysis as related to C-band radar data analysis

Work performed on spectral analysis of data from the C-band radars tracking GEOS-2 and on the development of a data compaction method for the GEOS-2 C-band radar data is described. The purposes of the spectral analysis study were to determine the optimum data recording and sampling rates for C-band radar data and to determine the optimum method of filtering and smoothing the data. The optimum data recording and sampling rate is defined as the rate which includes an optimum compromise between serial correlation and the effects of frequency folding. The goal in development of a data compaction method was to reduce to a minimum the amount of data stored, while maintaining all of the statistical information content of the non-compacted data. A digital computer program for computing estimates of the power spectral density function of sampled data was used to perform the spectral analysis study.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1991

Dual-parameter radar rainfall measurement from space - A test result from an aircraft experiment

An aircraft experiment has been conducted with a dual-frequency (X/Ka-bands) radar to test various rainfall retrieval methods from space. The authors test a method to derive raindrop size distribution (DSD) parameters from the combination of a radar reflectivity profile and a path-integrated attenuation derived from surface return, which may be available from most spaceborne radars. The estimated DSD parameters are reasonable in that the values generally fall within the range of commonly measured ones and that shifts in DSD parameters appear to be correlated with changes in storm type. The validity of the estimation result is also demonstrated by a consistency check using the Ka-band reflectivity profile which is independent of the DSD estimation process. Although errors may occur in the cases of nonuniform beam filling, these test results indicate the feasibility of the dual-parameter radar measurement from space in achieving a better accuracy in quantitative rainfall remote measurements.

Kozu, Toshiaki↗
NASA NTRS1975

Sequential and simultaneous SLAR block adjustment

Two sequential methods of planimetric SLAR (Side Looking Airborne Radar) block adjustment, with and without splines, and three simultaneous methods based on the principles of least squares are evaluated. A limited experiment with simulated SLAR images indicates that sequential block formation with splines followed by external interpolative adjustment is superior to the simultaneous methods such as planimetric block adjustment with similarity transformations. The use of the sequential block formation is recommended, since it represents an inexpensive tool for satisfactory point determination from SLAR images.

Leberl, F.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Measurements of precipitating atmosphere by the MU radar

Sensitive VHF Doppler radars have the capability to detect echoes from precipitation particles as well as refractive index irregularities. Researchers used the middle and upper (MU) atmosphere radar at Shigaraki, Japan for tropospheric observations of precipitating atmosphere. They detected precipitation motions simultaneously with the ambient air motion and showed the capabilities of the MU radar in investigating mesoscale structures of meteorological phenomena such as air precipitation motions within a cold frontal system. More recently, a direct method for deducing the drop size distribution of precipitation particles was developed using Doppler spectra of the MU radar. This method is free from errors inherent in conventional measurements using microwave Doppler spectra. Meteorological microwave radar data are also utilized for monitoring vertical and horizontal structures of precipitation.

Wakasugi, K.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Atmospheric motion investigation for vapor trails and radio meteors

The dynamics are investigated of the lower thermosphere through comparison of optical observations of motions of ejected vapor trails with radar observations of motions of ionized meteor trails. In particular, the winds obtained from a series of vapor trail observations which occurred at Wallops Island, Virginia during the night of 14-15 December 1970 are to be compared with wind data deduced from radar observations of meteor trails during the same period. The comparison of these data is considered important for two reasons. First, the most widely used methods of measuring winds in the lower thermosphere are the vapor trails and the radar meteors. However, the two techniques differ markedly and the resultant sets of data have been analyzed and presented in different formats. Secondly, and possibly of greater immediate concern is the fact that the radar meteor method appears to be an appropriate approach to the synoptic measurement of winds. During the night of 14-15 December 1970, five vapor trails were ejected from Nike Apache rockets over Wallops Island, Virginia from 2208 EST through 0627 EST. The wind data which were obtained from these trails are presented, and features of the wind profiles which relate to the radar meteor trails results are discussed.

Bedinger, J.↗
NASA NTRS1999

The TRMM Precipitation Radar: Opportunities and Challenges

Although studies on the feasibility of spaceborne weather radar date back to the 1960's, it was only with the launch of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Satellite in November 1997 that the first weather radar was placed into low earth orbit. The long delay between the initial concept and implementation was caused not only by the demanding requirements of active sensors such as mass, power, and reliability, but because of scientific and technological challenges. For example, the demand for adequate spatial resolution arises from the need to resolve the horizontal structure of convective storm cells and to avoid surface contamination of the rain return at off-nadir angles. To achieve a horizontal resolution on the order of 4 km from low earth orbit with a modest antenna size of 2 m requires the use of a much higher frequency (Ku-band) than those typically used for ground-based weather radars (S- and C-band). Higher frequencies are subject to higher attenuation. As Hitschfeld and Bordan (1954) showed in their classic paper, attenuation correction with a single-wavelength radar is inherently unstable at high attenuations unless the drop size distribution and the radar constant are known precisely. Since these conditions are seldom met, much work over the last decade has been devoted to formulating and testing alternative methods of attenuation correction. The operational method used in the TRMM radar processing is discussed in section 3 of the paper.

Meneghini, R.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Infrared, microwave, and spaceborne radar simulations of a deep convective system using a 3-D cloud ensemble method

A 3D cloud model is used to simulate the storm structure, and the results are linked to microwave and infrared radiative transfer models for simulation of aircraft observations. Spaceborne radar data are also simulated along the aircraft flight track. The cloud and radiative model simulations are studied and compared with aircraft observations. The initial results indicate that the 3D cloud model is capable of simulating the major features of observed storm systems when given a representative atmospheric sounding to initialize the convective systems. The simulations of infrared and microwave radiances provide reasonably good comparisons with the observations.

Yeh, H.-Y. M.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Estimation of precipitation from GOES IR imagery during FGGE: Application to diagnostic studies

The objectives were to (1) develop a method of estimating open-ocean rainfall and associated latent heat release via GOES IR satellite imagery; (2) to use remote precipitation estimates to investigate the role of diabatic forcing in the maintenance of the South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ) during FGGE SOP-1/; and (3) to assess the significance of non-quasigeostrophic transports of energy in several cyclogenetic events preceding the development of a North Atlantic blocking episode during FGGE SOP-1. The bulk of the early FY-85 work was directed toward development of the single pixel indexing technique (SPI) which assigns a rain rate to GOES IR black-body temperatures, T sub b, via a non-linear statistical relationship developed with raingauge measurements. The method was tested against radar-derived rainfall during GATE raingauge measurements over coastal North Carolina and island stations in the South Pacific Ocean. Skill was found comparable to Arkin's method (1979 MWR) in convective situations. The results suggest that transferring a rain algorithm from one oceanic regime to another may not require substantial modification of coefficients or tunable parameters. Twelve H mean rainfall amounts were produced for the region bounded by 10 deg. N, 50 deg. S, 120 deg W and 170 deg. E during the period January 10 to 16, 1979. These estimates constitute a basic input to diagnostic calculations of diabatic heating over the SPCZ region. ECMWF level III-b data analyses was used to compute several components of the APE balance in the South Pacific during the period January 10 to 18, 1979.

Robertson, F. R.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Resolution enhancement of spaceborne scatterometer data

Spaceborne wind scatterometers are designed principally to measure radar backscatter from the ocean's surface for the determination of the near-surface wind direction and speed. Although measurements of the radar backscatter are made over land, application of these measurements has been limited primarily to the calibration of the instrument. In this paper we present a method for generating enhanced resolution radar images of the earth's surface using spaceborne scatterometry. The technique is based on a new image reconstruction technique which takes advantage of the spatial overlap in scatterometer measurements made at different times to provide enhanced imaging resolution. We describe the reconstruction algorithm and demonstrate the technique using both simulated and actual Seasat-A Scatterometer (SASS) measurements. The SASS-derived images, which have approximately 4 km resolution, dramatically illustrate the resolution enhancement capability of the new technique. The technique permits utilization of both historic and contemporary scatterometer data for medium-scale monitoring of vegetation and polar ice. We discuss the tradeoff between imaging noise and resolution inherent in the technique.

Long, David G.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Real World Use Case Evaluation of Radar Retro-reflectors for Autonomous Vehicle Lane Detection Applications

Lane detection plays a critical role in autonomous vehicles for safe and reliable navigation. Lane detection is traditionally accomplished using a camera sensor and computer vision processing. The downside of this traditional technique is that it can be computationally intensive when high quality images at a fast frame rate are used and has reliability issues from occlusion such as, glare, shadows, active road construction, and more. This study addresses these issues by exploring alternative methods for lane detection in specific scenarios caused from road construction-induced lane shift and sun glare. Specifically, a U-Net, a convolutional network used for image segmentation, camera-based lane detection method is compared with a radar-based approach using a new type of sensor previously unused in the autonomous vehicle space: radar retro-reflectors. This evaluation is performed using ground truth data, obtained by measuring the lane positions and transforming them into pixel coordinates. The performance of each method is assessed using the statistical R2 score, indicating the correlation between the detected lane lines and the ground truth. The results show that the U-Net camera-based method exhibits limitations in accurately detecting and aligning the lane lines, particularly in challenging scenarios. However, the radar-based lane detection method demonstrates a strong correlation with the ground truth which implies that the use of this sensor may improve current reliability issues from conventional camera lane detection approach. Furthermore, the study highlights the limitations of the U-Net model for camera lane detection, especially in scenarios with sun glare. This study shows that infrastructure-based radar retro-reflectors can improve autonomous vehicle lane detection reliability. The integration of different sensor modalities and the development of advanced computer vision algorithms are crucial for improving the accuracy, reliability, and energy efficiency of lane detection systems. Addressing these challenges contributes to the advancement of autonomous vehicles and the realization of safer and more efficient transportation systems.

Brown, Nicolas E.↗