David G. Long, Ph.D.

Title: Address: Phone: E-mail: Fax:

Director, BYU Center for Remote Sensing Professor, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering 459 Clyde Building Brigham Young University Provo, Utah 84602 (801) 422-4383 long@byu.edu (801) 422-0201

Founder, BYU Microwave Earth Remote Sensing (MERS) Research Laboratory

Research Interests

Microwave remote sensing, scatterometry, radar, resolution enhancement, signal processing, estimation theory, mesoscale atmospheric dynamics, and polar ice.

Research Description

Microwave remote sensing is now an essential tool for the study of the Earth. In particular, radar remote sensing can provide valuable information regarding the state of the oceans, polar regions, and vegetated areas. Two tools for radar remote sensing of the Earth are synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and wind scatterometry. Scatterometers measures winds over the ocean from space to support weather prediction and studies of air/sea interaction as well as other topics in oceanography and meteorology. Scatterometer data can also be used to study polar ice and vegetation. To ameliorate the relatively low resolution of scatterometer data, resolution enhancement/reconstruction algorithms have been developed and successfully applied to scatterometer and radiometer data. The wide swath and frequent coverage of scatterometer data is particularly useful in helping put h igh resolution SAR images (which have limited spatial and temporal coverage) in context.

Interdisicplinary research and development of a variety of advanced radar remote sensing instruments, techniques, and applications is being conducted. This research incldes the development of mesoscale models of oceanic winds for use in model-based wind retrieval (estimation) algorithms for scatterometer data. Wind field modeling is based on both theoretical and observational studies of the dynamics of ocean winds. Resolution enhancement algorithms for scatterometers and passive remote sensors have been developed and successfully applied to studies of tropical vegetation and polar ice. Innovative SAR and scatterometer systems have been developed to support studies of air/sea interaction and remote sensing applications.

Selected specific research topics include:

• Spaceborne wind scatterometry (radar remote sensing of oceanic winds)
• Scatterometer model functions
• Rain modeling and measurement
• Remote sensing of polar ice
• Remote sensing of tropical and subtropical vegetaion
• Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)
• Interferometric SAR
• Resolution enhancement and reconstruction algorithms (e.g., SIR)

Further information on current research projects

Curriculum Vitae

• Education & Professional Experience
• Publications
• Previous Students

Classes

• Freshman Orientation: Habits of the Mind
• ECEn490: Senior Projects -- Space Education Center
• ECEn564: Radar and Communication Systems
• ECEn568: Microwave Remote Sensing
• ECEn777: Advanced Digital Signal Processing