CYGNSS Level 1: Satellite Radar Cross Section Maps for Ocean Wind

CYGNSS Level 1 Science Data Record Version 2.1 provides calibrated Delay Doppler Maps from a constellation of eight satellites. The dataset includes bistatic radar cross section measurements, quality flags, and geolocation parameters, with up to eight files generated daily. NASA produced this second science-quality release, which includes improvements like additional data during orbital maneuvers and reduced measurement biases.

Use Cases

• Estimate ocean surface wind speeds based on bistatic radar cross section measurements.
• Monitor tropical storms and hurricanes using the higher retrieval frequency data mentioned for special circumstances.
• Analyze GPS signal reflection patterns using calibrated Delay Doppler Maps.
• Validate satellite instrument consistency using the improved calibration between spacecraft mentioned in the description.
• Study scattering cross section variations with altitude using the updated normalization model.

Strengths

• Version 2.1 supersedes Version 2.0 with seven listed improvements, including more accurate antenna gain estimates and reduced biases.
• Data latency is approximately 6 days or better from the last recorded measurement.
• Under nominal conditions, 6-8 spacecraft retrieve data daily, maximizing to 8 during events like tropical storms.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The receiver antenna pattern calibration is not applied per-DDM-bin in this release, as noted in the description.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Measured by the Delay Doppler Mapping Instrument aboard the CYGNSS satellite constellation.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 03:24:50.979978; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global, from satellite observations.