Using Radar Cross-Section to Enhance Situational Awareness Tools for Airport Avian Radars

• Main Authors: Tim J. Nohara, Robert C. Beason, Peter Weber
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Utah State University 2017-02-01
• Series: Human-Wildlife Interactions
• Subjects: aircraft; airfield management; alert; aviation safety; bash; bird strike; human– wildlife conflicts; radar; radar cross-section; situational awareness; wildlife hazard
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/hwi/vol5/iss2/9

Digital avian radars can track bird movements continuously in the vicinity of airports without interruption. The result is a wealth of bird-track data that can be used in mitigation efforts to reduce bird strikes on and near airfields. To make the sheer volume of bird track data generated by digital avian radars accessible to users, we developed tools to transform these data into analytical and visualization products to improve situational awareness for wildlife and airfield personnel. In addition to the parameters traditionally associated with radar tracking (latitude, longitude, altitude, speed, and heading), we have implemented a procedure to estimate the radar cross-section (RCS) of a target, which is related to its size or mass. This additional information can provide wildlife and airfield managers with the knowledge they need to prioritize their efforts to deal with the greatest hazards first.