3D Radar Objects Tracking and Reflectivity Profiling

The ability to characterize feature objects from radar readings is often limited by simply looking at their still frame reflectivity, differential reflectivity and differential phase data. In many cases, time-series study of these objects' reflectivity profile is required to properly characterize features objects of interest. This paper introduces a novel technique to automatically track multiple 3D radar structures in C,S-band in real-time using Doppler radar and profile their characteristic reflectivity distribution in time series. The extraction of reflectivity profile from different radar cluster structures is done in three stages: 1. static frame (zone-linkage) clustering, 2. dynamic frame (evolution-linkage) clustering and 3. characterization of clusters through time series profile of reflectivity distribution. The two clustering schemes proposed here are applied on composite multi-layers CAPPI (Constant Altitude Plan Position Indicator) radar data which covers altitude range of 0.25 to 10 km and an area spanning over hundreds of thousands $km^2$. Discrete numerical simulations show the validity of the proposed technique and that fast and accurate profiling of time series reflectivity distribution for deformable 3D radar structures is achievable.