Traditionally, multi-mission applications in airborne radar are implemented through very expensiv... more Traditionally, multi-mission applications in airborne radar are implemented through very expensive phased array architectures. The emerging applications from civilian surveillance, on the other hand, prefer low-cost and low-SWaP (space, weight and power) systems. This study introduces a software-based solution that intends to use low-cost hardware and advanced algorithms/processing backend to meet the remote sensing goals for multi-mission applications. The low-cost airborne radar platform from Garmin International is used as a representative example of the system platform. The focus of this study is the optimal operating mode, data quality and algorithm development in cases of all-weather sense and avoid (SAA) applications. The main challenges for the solution are the resolution limitation due to the small aperture size, limitations from the field-of-view (FOV) and the scan speed from mechanical scanning. We show that the basic operational needs can be satisfied with software processing through various algorithms. The concept and progress of polarimetric airborne radar for dual-function operations at X-band Generation 1 (PARADOX1) based on the platform are also discussed.
2007 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, 2007
An avionics system for an autonomous UAV platform supporting VHF depth sounding and SAR is under ... more An avionics system for an autonomous UAV platform supporting VHF depth sounding and SAR is under development. The system is divided into navigation, communication, and data processing or logging. This design provides accurate position, velocity, acceleration, and attitude data. It supports over-the- horizon communication via an Iridium satellite link. The data collected by this system will allow for motion effects of the UAV to be compensated for, to enable SAR image formation.
Geoscience and Remote Sensing IEEE International Symposium, 2009
Sea-level rise will affect populations worldwide with considerable and lasting consequences in th... more Sea-level rise will affect populations worldwide with considerable and lasting consequences in the not-too-distant future. Accurate measurement of fast flowing outlet glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica are of vital importance to ice sheet models that predict the course of sea-level rise. The Center for the Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS) has developed a suite of tools designed for use
Geoscience and Remote Sensing IEEE International Symposium, 2010
During NASA's Operation Ice Bridge a gridded survey was flown over Pine Island Glacier (PIG)... more During NASA's Operation Ice Bridge a gridded survey was flown over Pine Island Glacier (PIG). This survey was a finer grid than previously flown over this area. The data collected confirm that the majority of the ice at the bottom of PIG is below sea level which could be a major cause in the speed-up of the ice flow in
The Multichannel Coherent Radar Depth Sounder (MCoRDS) system was developed by the Center for Rem... more The Multichannel Coherent Radar Depth Sounder (MCoRDS) system was developed by the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS) to map the thickness of ice sheets. This radar system was used in Antarctica as one of the primary sensors for NASA's Operation Ice ...
2010 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium, 2010
We have developed improved versions of three different radar systems and integrated them as an ai... more We have developed improved versions of three different radar systems and integrated them as an airborne instrumentation suite for sounding and imaging Polar ice sheets. The first instrument consists of a multi-channel, coherent, pulsed radar operating at VHF with up to 20 MHz bandwidth. This instrument is capable of sounding a few-kilometer thick ice while flying at altitudes up to
2011 IEEE 35th Annual Computer Software and Applications Conference, 2011
Abstract The Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS) was formed to investigate and gener... more Abstract The Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS) was formed to investigate and generate a greater understanding of ice sheets and their relationship to the global climate, specifically sea-level rise. To provide the detailed ice thickness data required for ...
We discuss results from a high-sensitivity, multichannel, very high frequency, and surface-based ... more We discuss results from a high-sensitivity, multichannel, very high frequency, and surface-based radar depth sounder/imager. The instrument was used to map deep internal layers and characterize basal conditions over a 240-km 2 grid in the vicinity of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet Divide ice core site. The ice thickness at the core site was found to be about 3470 m, and we detected internal layers to within 350 m of the ice/bed interface. Radar-detected layer stratigraphy does not show evidence of flow-induced disturbances that might complicate the depth-age relationship and the interpretation of climate history preserved in the ice. We also found that bed reflectivity over the region varies by more than 30 dB. Approximately 15 dB of this variability appears to be the result of transitions from a frozen to a thawed bed in a number of places. The remainder probably results from changes in bed roughness. Our data are important for planning drilling to the bed, as well as providing constraints and boundary conditions for regional ice-flow models.
Traditionally, multi-mission applications in airborne radar are implemented through very expensiv... more Traditionally, multi-mission applications in airborne radar are implemented through very expensive phased array architectures. The emerging applications from civilian surveillance, on the other hand, prefer low-cost and low-SWaP (space, weight and power) systems. This study introduces a software-based solution that intends to use low-cost hardware and advanced algorithms/processing backend to meet the remote sensing goals for multi-mission applications. The low-cost airborne radar platform from Garmin International is used as a representative example of the system platform. The focus of this study is the optimal operating mode, data quality and algorithm development in cases of all-weather sense and avoid (SAA) applications. The main challenges for the solution are the resolution limitation due to the small aperture size, limitations from the field-of-view (FOV) and the scan speed from mechanical scanning. We show that the basic operational needs can be satisfied with software processing through various algorithms. The concept and progress of polarimetric airborne radar for dual-function operations at X-band Generation 1 (PARADOX1) based on the platform are also discussed.
2007 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, 2007
An avionics system for an autonomous UAV platform supporting VHF depth sounding and SAR is under ... more An avionics system for an autonomous UAV platform supporting VHF depth sounding and SAR is under development. The system is divided into navigation, communication, and data processing or logging. This design provides accurate position, velocity, acceleration, and attitude data. It supports over-the- horizon communication via an Iridium satellite link. The data collected by this system will allow for motion effects of the UAV to be compensated for, to enable SAR image formation.
Geoscience and Remote Sensing IEEE International Symposium, 2009
Sea-level rise will affect populations worldwide with considerable and lasting consequences in th... more Sea-level rise will affect populations worldwide with considerable and lasting consequences in the not-too-distant future. Accurate measurement of fast flowing outlet glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica are of vital importance to ice sheet models that predict the course of sea-level rise. The Center for the Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS) has developed a suite of tools designed for use
Geoscience and Remote Sensing IEEE International Symposium, 2010
During NASA's Operation Ice Bridge a gridded survey was flown over Pine Island Glacier (PIG)... more During NASA's Operation Ice Bridge a gridded survey was flown over Pine Island Glacier (PIG). This survey was a finer grid than previously flown over this area. The data collected confirm that the majority of the ice at the bottom of PIG is below sea level which could be a major cause in the speed-up of the ice flow in
The Multichannel Coherent Radar Depth Sounder (MCoRDS) system was developed by the Center for Rem... more The Multichannel Coherent Radar Depth Sounder (MCoRDS) system was developed by the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS) to map the thickness of ice sheets. This radar system was used in Antarctica as one of the primary sensors for NASA's Operation Ice ...
2010 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium, 2010
We have developed improved versions of three different radar systems and integrated them as an ai... more We have developed improved versions of three different radar systems and integrated them as an airborne instrumentation suite for sounding and imaging Polar ice sheets. The first instrument consists of a multi-channel, coherent, pulsed radar operating at VHF with up to 20 MHz bandwidth. This instrument is capable of sounding a few-kilometer thick ice while flying at altitudes up to
2011 IEEE 35th Annual Computer Software and Applications Conference, 2011
Abstract The Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS) was formed to investigate and gener... more Abstract The Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS) was formed to investigate and generate a greater understanding of ice sheets and their relationship to the global climate, specifically sea-level rise. To provide the detailed ice thickness data required for ...
We discuss results from a high-sensitivity, multichannel, very high frequency, and surface-based ... more We discuss results from a high-sensitivity, multichannel, very high frequency, and surface-based radar depth sounder/imager. The instrument was used to map deep internal layers and characterize basal conditions over a 240-km 2 grid in the vicinity of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet Divide ice core site. The ice thickness at the core site was found to be about 3470 m, and we detected internal layers to within 350 m of the ice/bed interface. Radar-detected layer stratigraphy does not show evidence of flow-induced disturbances that might complicate the depth-age relationship and the interpretation of climate history preserved in the ice. We also found that bed reflectivity over the region varies by more than 30 dB. Approximately 15 dB of this variability appears to be the result of transitions from a frozen to a thawed bed in a number of places. The remainder probably results from changes in bed roughness. Our data are important for planning drilling to the bed, as well as providing constraints and boundary conditions for regional ice-flow models.
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Papers by William Blake