| Description |
The SACR continues to undergo evaluation by the radar instrument mentors, ProSensing, VAP developers, DQ Office, site scientists, users, etc. As more in-depth analysis and calibration studies take place, we anticipate that new insights will be gained to increase the quality of the data and decrease the uncertainty of the measurements. This is a continuous improvement process and issues will be addressed as they are discovered.
Calibration is very important. Calibration of the SACRs depends on the careful installation of a corner reflector target. This provides a external calibration reference not obtainable with a zenith-pointing radar such as the KAZR. However, significant data analysis is required to assure that the radar is pointing at the target and there are no interfering losses in the transmission path.
As issues are discovered, attempts will be made to correct data that is currently in the
Archive. However, retrospective correction of errors due calibration, signal processing,
component degradation and software bugs may not be possible for many of the data files.
This open-ended DQR is an advisory that some aspects of the data quality are not yet known. It is also a request for users that find issues or questions with the data to contact the ARM Radar Engineering & Operations Group Manager, as these issues occur so that they can be investigated and corrected if necessary. |
| Measurements |
- n_samples (Number of samples used to compute moments)
- platform_type (Platform type)
- r_calib_index (Index for the calibration that applies to each ray)
- sky_power_xpol (Sky power, cross-polar)
- scan_rate (Scan rate, positive for clockwise or increasing elevation)
- altitude_agl (Altitude above ground level)
- time_offset (Time offset from base_time)
- primary_axis (Primary axis of rotation)
- r_calib_time (Time of the calibration that applies to each ray)
- instrument_type (Instrument type)
- follow_mode (Follow mode)
- base_time (Base time in Epoch)
- radar_beam_width_h (Radar beam width, horizontal channel)
- radar_antenna_gain_v (Nominal radar antenna gain, v channel)
- r_calib_noise_vx (Noise floor for vertical cross-polar channel 2)
- altitude (Altitude)
- elevation (Elevation angle from horizontal)
- spectral_width (Spectrum width)
- r_calib_xmit_power_h (Transmit power)
- sweep_start_ray_index (Index of first ray in sweep, 0-based)
- sweep_end_ray_index (Index of last ray in sweep, 0-based)
- sky_noise_xpol (Sky noise, cross-polar)
- nyquist_velocity (Unambiguous Doppler velocity)
- sweep_number (Sweep number)
- sky_power_copol (Sky power, copolar)
- sky_noise_copol (Sky noise, copolar)
- volume_number (Volume number)
- polarization_mode (Polarization mode)
- pulse_width (Pulse width)
- reflectivity (Equivalent reflectivity factor)
- fixed_angle (Target angle for sweep)
- snr (Signal-to-noise-ratio)
- longitude (Longitude)
- latitude (Latitude)
- linear_depolarization_ratio (Linear depolarization ratio H)
- r_calib_pulse_width (Pulse width for this calibration)
- mean_doppler_velocity (Mean Doppler velocity)
- alt (Altitude above mean sea level)
- lon (East longitude)
- lat (North latitude)
- time_coverage_start (Time corresponding to first radial in file)
- r_calib_radar_constant_h (Radar constant, horizontal copolar channel 1)
- prt_mode (PRT mode)
- antenna_transition (Antenna transition indicator, 1 if between sweeps, otherwise 0)
- r_calib_noise_source_power_v (Noise power in noise source region for vertical cross-polar channel)
- r_calib_two_way_radome_loss_h (Two-way radome loss)
- cross_polar_differential_phase (Cross-polar propagation phase shift)
- r_calib_receiver_gain_vx (Receiver gain for vertical cross-polar channel 2)
- r_calib_receiver_gain_hc (Receiver gain for horizontal copolar channel 1)
- prt (Pulse repetition time)
- radar_antenna_gain_h (Nominal radar antenna gain, h channel)
- co_to_crosspol_correlation_coeff (Copol to cross-polar correlation coefficient (also known as rhocx))
- r_calib_noise_source_power_h (Noise power in noise source region for horizontal copolar channel 1)
- r_calib_noise_hc (Noise floor power for horizontal copolar channel1)
- radar_beam_width_v (Radar beam width, vertical channel)
- range (Range to measurement volume)
- r_calib_radar_constant_v (Radar constant, vertical cross-polar channel 2)
- sweep_mode (Sweep mode)
- time (Time in seconds since volume start)
- frequency (Operating frequency)
- azimuth (Azimuth angle from true north)
- unambiguous_range (Unambiguous range)
- time_coverage_end (Time corresponding to last radial in file)
- radar_measured_transmit_power_h (Radar measured transmit power, h channel)
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