ISO 28902-2:2017

Overview

ISO 28902-2:2017 - Air quality - Environmental meteorology - Part 2: Ground-based remote sensing of wind by heterodyne pulsed Doppler lidar - specifies requirements and performance test procedures for heterodyne pulsed Doppler lidar systems that measure wind from laser light scattered by atmospheric aerosols. The standard focuses on determining line-of-sight (radial) wind velocity, describing system performance and limits under standard atmospheric conditions, and offering recommendations for manufacturers, test bodies and end users.

Note: ISO 28902-2:2017 does not define wind-vector retrieval from multiple line‑of‑sight measurements (an example method is included in Annex B).

Key topics and technical requirements

• Fundamentals of heterodyne pulsed Doppler lidar: principles of heterodyne detection, spectral analysis and target variables (radial wind velocity).
• Sources of noise and uncertainty: local oscillator shot noise, detector noise, relative intensity noise (RIN), speckle effects and laser frequency stability.
• Range and resolution: range assignment, displayed/effective range resolution, minimum/maximum acquisition and operational ranges.
• System specifications: transmitter characteristics, transmitter/receiver interfaces, sampling parameters and pointing system requirements.
• Performance metrics and trade-offs: figure of merit, time–bandwidth trade-offs, precision, data availability and maximum operational range.
• Testing and validation procedures: radial velocity measurement validation, intercomparisons with other instruments, and maximum operational range validation.
• Measurement planning and operations: site requirements, limiting conditions, maintenance, operational tests and uncertainty management.

Practical applications and users

ISO 28902-2:2017 is applicable to a wide range of operational and research uses:

• Aviation and airport safety - meteorological briefing and wind hazard monitoring.
• Wind energy - site assessment, wind profiling and power curve determination.
• Meteorological networks - routine wind-profile measurements at stations.
• Air quality and dispersion modelling - improving pollutant transport and dispersion forecasts.
• Industrial risk management - monitoring wind fields for safety and process risk evaluation.
• Greenhouse gas exchange studies - supporting flux measurements via improved wind inputs.

Primary users include lidar manufacturers, conformity testing and certification bodies, meteorological agencies, airport operators, wind farm developers, environmental monitoring organizations and industrial safety teams.

Related standards

• ISO 28902 is a multi‑part series. Annex A of Part 2 gives background on continuous‑wave Doppler lidar; a dedicated international standard for CW Doppler lidar is noted as being prepared.

Keywords: ISO 28902-2:2017, heterodyne pulsed Doppler lidar, ground-based remote sensing of wind, Doppler lidar requirements, radial wind velocity, wind lidar performance testing.