Omni-Directional Cloud Height Indicator

The proposed research will develop the specifications and design of a ceilometer capable of scanning in three dimensions to detect clouds within a range of 75,000 feet (about 15 miles). The final design will be based upon the Vaisala CT-75k ceilometer which has a nominal range of 75,000 feet. As a proof-of- concept, the proposed research effort will use the Vaisala CT-25k (which has a nominal range of 25,000 feet) in a series of demonstration tests on the island of Maui of the State of Hawaii. The field tests would involve operation of the ceilometer on a scan and tilt platform to probe the atmosphere in a hemisphere above the ground plane. The cloud height (or range) data from the laser backscatter will be analyzed and processed by a computer to convert range and angle measurements into a three dimensional plot of clouds within the probed volume. This particular ceilometer, CT-25k, is planned for deployment on Maui at the Maui Space Surveillance System (MSSS) during the summer of 1997 under the auspices of a U.S. Air Force Phillips Laboratory SBIR entitles "Remote Automated Atmospheric Monitoring and Prediction System (RAAMPS)." The RAAMPS program will be using the ceilometer on a scan and tilt platform to detect low clouds and fog near the horizontal plane. Thus, the demonstration tests can be performed with very little additional effort under a cooperative agreement with the RAAMPS SBIR sponsor, the Air Force Phillips Laboratory.