Research in radar technology requires readily accessible data from weather systems of varying properties. Lack of real-world data can delay or stop progress in development. Simulation aids this problem by providing data on demand. In this publication we present a new weather radar signal simulator. The algorithm produces raw time series data for a radar signal using physically based methodology with statistical techniques incorporated for computational efficiency.
From a set of user-defined scatterer characteristics and radar system parameters, the simulator solves the radar range equation for individual, representative precipitation targets in a virtual weather cell. The model addresses the question of balancing utility and performance in simulating signal that contains all the essential weather information. For our applications, we focus on target velocity measurements. Signal is created with respect to the changing position of targets, leading to a discernable Doppler shift in frequency. We also show the operation of our simulator in generating signal using multiple pulse transmission schemes.
First, we establish the theoretical basis for our algorithm. Then we demonstrate the simulator's capability for use in experimentation of advanced digital signal processing techniques and data acquisition, focusing on target motion. Finally, we discuss possible future developments of the simulator and their importance in application.
