Electronic Scan Strategy for Phased Array Weather Radar Using a Space–Time Characterization Model

Abstract

his paper presents an adaptive scan strategy concept for phased array weather radars (PAWR) with the objective of increasing the scan speed and capturing features of the storm system while maintaining the measurement accuracy. The adaptive scan strategy is developed based on the space?time variability of the storm under observation. Quickly evolving regions are scanned more often and the spatial sampling resolution is matched to the spatial scale. A model that includes the interaction between space and time is used to extract spatial and temporal scales of the medium and to define scanning regions. The temporal scale constrains the radar revisit time, while the measurement accuracy controls the radar?s dwell time. These conditions are employed in a task scheduler that works on a ray-by-ray basis and is designed to balance task priority and radar resources. The scheduler algorithm also includes an optimization procedure for minimizing radar scan time. The model and the scan strategy are demonstrated using simulation data. The results show that the proposed scan strategy can reduce the scan time significantly without compromising data quality.