ITR/AP: Development of Efficient Real-Time Multi-mode Data Assimilation and Analysis Techniques for the Arecibo and Related Geophysical Radar Systems

提出了一个为期三年的计划，涉及必要的IT技术的发展，使最有效的带宽和科学利用可用的观测时间在阿雷西博天文台（AO）通过灵活地加速数据处理。 拟议的信息技术方法将通过在AO进行的两个高影响力科学测试/演示案例进行测试。 第一项涉及同时对50-600公里电离层进行高距离/时间分辨率双波束非相干散射雷达观测，并使用同一数据流同时搜索大气层上方的日心轨道物体。 第二个将在数据流中搜索流星，并将高度复杂的流星数据实时地完全简化为地球物理参数，同时还处理电离层D区光谱的同一数据流。 将在处理干扰和卫星返回信号、提供适当的实时显示以及将原始数据和处理后的数据存档的同时，努力实现这些科学目标。 所提出的方法将允许充分利用现成的技术进步，如广告的宽带宽/大动态范围IF采样接收机开发的手机基站和便宜，但功能强大的通用台式机/单板计算机。 这种硬件加上提出的算法开发将允许以全速率同化实时数据，从而灵活地实现最佳干扰处理，实时数据显示和多模式并行结果科学处理。 拟议开发的这种灵活的数据处理环境不仅对地球物理雷达界有用，而且还将为AO的宽带/多频射电天文观测提供相同的环境。 这种方法还将对其他地球物理雷达和射电天文学设施产生广泛影响，使人们能够简单地采用这种拟议的低成本通用数据处理/解释环境。

A three-year program is proposed involving development of the IT-techniques necessary to make the most efficient bandwidth and science use of the available observation time at Arecibo Observatory (AO) by flexibly accelerating the data processing. The proposed IT-approach will be tested via two high-impact science test/demonstration cases to be conducted at AO. The first involves simultaneous high-range/time resolution dual-beam incoherent scatter radar (ISR) observations of the 50-600 km ionosphere and a simultaneous search-using the same data stream-for heliocentric orbital objects above the atmosphere. The second will search the data-stream for meteors and completely reduce the highly complex meteor data to geophysical parameters in real-time while also processing the same data-stream for ionosphere D-region spectra. These science goals will be pursued while processing for interference and satellite-returns, providing appropriate real-time display, and archiving both original and processed data. The proposed approach will allow full use of off-the-shelf technological advancements such ad the wide-bandwidth/large-dynamic-range IF-sampling receivers developed for cell-phone base-stations and cheap but powerful general-purpose desktop/single-board computers. This hardware plus proposed algorithm development will permit assimilation of the real-time data at the full rate thus flexibly enabling optimal interference processing, real-time data display, and multi-mode parallel-outcome scientific processing. The proposed development of this flexible data-processing environment would not only prove useful to the geophysical radar community but would also provide the same environment for wide-bandwidth/multi-frequency radio astronomy observations at AO. This approach would also broadly-impact other geophysical radar and radio astronomy facilities by enabling simple adoption of this proposed low-cost general-purpose data processing/interpretations environment.