Quality Control of Delay-Doppler Maps for Stare Processing

A quality control scheme for TechDemoSat 1 (TDS-1) and Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) delay-Doppler maps (DDMs) is presented and the results of its application to a data set of more than 700 000 DDMs are discussed. This scheme is proven to be effective for such purpose and its output indices can be successfully used as quality indicators of the DDM. This paper shows that most of the TDS-1 DDMs are affected by some distortions that are attributable to an insufficiently accurate estimation of the specular point location. The errors, moreover, can severely alter the symmetry of the isodelay lines with respect to the iso-Doppler lines leading to an asymmetry in the arrival time of the waveforms. Furthermore, these errors may affect the convolution of the GNSS reflected signal with the Woodward ambiguity function, leading to an unwanted redistribution of the incoming echo energy among the DDM bins. Such distortions may, in turn, affect the accuracy of the wind field retrieval using either the stare processing approach or the more consolidated methods of inverting a Geophysical Model Function based on the DDM peak and/or leading edge slope.