Performance simulation of a wind scatterometer

The wind scatterometer, a sensor planned for the satellite that will succeed ERS-1, will measure wind vectors over the oceans. A description is given of the computer simulation that will be used to optimize the sensor design and predict the merit of the extracted data. Monte Carlo simulation with a simplified error model is used on a mainframe computer to demonstrate the probability of successful data extraction. Detailed geometry and propagation path modeling on a desktop computer furnishes an interactive design tool for a particular system design. The principles and geometry for two system concepts are illustrated; these are Doppler filtering and range gating. In addition, the problems posed by ambiguous solutions are explained.