Sbir phase i: multiple input multiple output (mimo) radar processing module for significantly enhanced detection of severe weather and disaster management

The National Science Foundation awarded a $275,000 SBIR Phase I project grant to Agile RF Systems LLC to develop and demonstrate a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) radar processing module for significantly enhanced detection of severe weather events such as tornadoes, hail, and wind shear. During the 9-month project, the company will develop and simulate MIMO radar algorithms, implement them in an existing four-channel software defined radar, and compare the MIMO performance to single input single output (SISO) mode. The goal is to improve accuracy, update rates, and reduce power, size, and weight of small radars used for severe weather surveillance, especially at airports. This award is part of the NSF's Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships directorate's efforts to advance technologies that address national challenges.

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this small business innovation research phase i project is to design novel technologies for accurate and fast weather updates for severe weather surveillance using small radars. The technology increases accuracy with faster update rates and also has advantages in terms of decreased power consumption, size, and weight. Small and large airports may benefit from higher accuracy wind shear detection phenomena enabled by the proposed radar processing. Equipped with better spatial resolution and faster updates, these radars and the phased array technology can provide information about rapidly evolving weather conditions in a timely manner to the airport staff and warn the pilots before storms or other adverse conditions affect the planes. Some of the potentially dangerous and short-lived weather conditions, such as wind shear in the airport area, can be detected with better spatial resolution and faster updates to warn the pilots to avoid specific routes. Municipalities can use these small radars for severe weather warnings and aid in rapid assessment of hail damage. By deploying small radar networks with data services, media will have access to real time events to share with the public and gain a more complete knowledge of weather phenomena. This small business innovation research phase i project will develop and demonstrate multiple input multiple output (mimo) radar for significantly enhanced detection of severe weather events such as tornados, hail, and wind shear by small radars. During phase i, algorithms will be developed, simulated, and implemented in the existing four channel software defined radar. These algorithms will first be evaluated by simulation to assess performance and optimize the multiple input and output parameters. The optimized parameters will be implemented and compared to data collections using the single input single output mode. The high-level system radar parameters of the portable weather radar developed by the team will be utilized. The optimized mimo parameters will be implemented and the portable weather radar (PWR), or a very similar prototype, will be used to collect data in single input single output (siso) mode and compared to data collections using the mimo mode. The collected data will be post processed to quantify performance benefits of the mimo collection mode. A variety of weather types will be encountered and analyzed during planned efforts to contrast and compare performance. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are not planned for this award.