A stereoscopic approach for cloud base height assessment over an optical ground station

O. Liandrat; G. Roussel; A. Bedoya-Velasquez; R. Ceolato; A. Cautru; J. Decroix; N. Schmutz

doi:10.1117/12.2606037

4 March 2022 A stereoscopic approach for cloud base height assessment over an optical ground station

O. Liandrat, G. Roussel, A. Bedoya-Velasquez, R. Ceolato, A. Cautru, J. Decroix, N. Schmutz

Proceedings Volume 11993, Free-Space Laser Communications XXXIV; 119930I (2022) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2606037
Event: SPIE LASE, 2022, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

Telecommunication and remote sensing data exchanged between Earth and space has increased dramatically in recent years. Radio frequencies, the medium used for several decades has shown to reach its capacity. Free space optical communications, achieved with laser transmitter devices, is an alternative with better transmission rate and increased security. However, a major drawback of this technology is that laser signal cannot cross through thick clouds, which imply to set up a network of optical ground stations with handover management strategies based on Cloud Optical Depth (COD) observation and Cloud Motion forecasts. Ground-based long-wave infrared observations from a sky imager can be used to estimate COD. However, as a low thin cloud may have similar thermal signature than a high thick cloud, additional Cloud Base Height (CBH) measurement is needed to retrieve accurate COD in any weather situation [1]. The CCSDS currently recommends to use a ceilometer for this purpose [2]. Here, we explore an alternative approach, retrieving CBH directly from a pair of thermal sky imagers and stereoscopic methods. Our CBH retrievals have been compared with the measurement of a reference ceilometer. The results showed a good agreement for a continuous period of acquisition over several days, with a Root Mean Squared Error of 15%. In addition, stereoscopy offers a wider field of view and thus, may increase the forecasting horizon and accuracy, compared to a sky imager+ceilometer configuration [3] [4] [5]. We believe this approach is promising for the cloud monitoring of Optical Ground Stations and should be further investigated.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

O. Liandrat, G. Roussel, A. Bedoya-Velasquez, R. Ceolato, A. Cautru, J. Decroix, and N. Schmutz "A stereoscopic approach for cloud base height assessment over an optical ground station", Proc. SPIE 11993, Free-Space Laser Communications XXXIV, 119930I (4 March 2022); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2606037

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