Instrument Simulator Suite for Atmospheric Remote Sensing (ISSARS) as a benchmarking tool for model development

Models of the wave propagation and radiation in the Earth's atmosphere are essential for understanding remote sensing observations and are a fundamental building block of retrieval algorithms. A modeler is in need of accurate field or laboratory measurements in order to evaluate the validity and accuracy of the proposed model. In situations where the 'truth' is lacking (e.g. in a very complex environment where it is not possible to carry out effectively the measurement), comparing simulated output from the proposed model to other well-established ones is a logical alternative. Instrument Simulator Suite for Atmospheric Remote Sensing (ISSARS) is a forward simulation framework that is highly configurable allowing its users to realistically describe the simulation environment. A modularity of the system allows new models to be systematically incorporated. A potential candidate can be either a relatively simple model such as a new drop size distribution function or a complex one like an entire radiative transfer solver. This presentation will introduce different functionalities available in ISSARS that help promoting model evaluation process. In particular, plug-in architecture implemented in ISSARS will be highlighted along with sample benchmarking results of the radiative transfer solvers integrated in ISSARS in some computationally challenging scenarios.