Features of navigational radiosonde coordinate data processing for high resolution windfinding

Ural Federal University (UrFU), Institute of Radio Electronics and Information Technology, 620002 Ekaterinburg, Russia

^* Corresponding author: o.v.plohih@urfu.ru

Abstract

Upper-air sounding systems (UASS) are the main means of obtaining aerological information to provide short-term and long-term weather forecasts, prevention of natural and anthropogenic catastrophes, etc. The UASS uses the principle of tracking a radiosonde launched into free flight, usually using a gas-filled balloon. Radiosondes are equipped with various sensors for measuring atmospheric parameters. The balloon, in addition to the means of the radiosonde delivery, serves as a horizontal wind sensor. At the end of the 20th century, theodolites and radars were used to track the radiosonde. In the 90s, such companies as Air, Vaisala, Graw, etc. developed UASSs using signals from the American Global Positioning System (GPS). These systems have fundamental advantages in terms of efficiency, size, mobility, radiosonde positioning accuracy and operation on mobile platforms. The use of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) in upper-air sounding systems offer new perspectives of fine wind field measuring and detecting turbulent layers. The navigation radiosonde provides more detailed and high-quality information. The processing of such data has its own specificity in comparison with radar UASS. This paper discusses the coordinate data processing of a navigational radiosonde. To analyze the errors in estimating the wind speed, computer simulation of a balloon-sonde system is used. The coordinate data filter parameters and filtering efficiency was refined during the simulation.