The Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT) Ground Processing Prototype

The Advanced Scatterometer ASCAT is a spaceborne real aperture C-band radar. Its primary measurement objective is the determination of wind fields at the ocean surface. ASCAT is intended as a follow-on to the wind mode of the Active Microwave Instrument (AMI) on the ESA Earth Remote Sensing satellites ERS-1 and 2. It is a candidate for the ESA/EUMETSAT METOP mission, a series of satellites aimed at operational meteorology and climate monitoring. The ASCAT Ground Processing Prototype is developed in the frame of the METOP/ASCAT project. The main purpose of the ASCAT Ground Processing Prototype development is to establish the appropriate algorithms for processing the ASCAT measurement data to the Level 1B product. The algorithms used in the prototype will be the basis for the definition of the algorithms for the final operational ground processor. Further areas of application for the ASCAT Ground Processing Prototype are support of the calibration of the ASCAT instrument demonstration of ASCAT products to potential users provision of a reference system (e.g. test data generation) for the operational ground processor development support of the measurement data analysis during commissioning phase support to trouble shooting in all project phases pre-testing of ground processing modifications prior to invocation during the operational phase. The authors give an overview on the ASCAT Ground Processing Prototype (GPP), on its structure, components and models. For a better understanding of the function of the ASCAT CPP within the system context a brief introduction on the ASCAT system and measurement principle is given