Signal Processing: Panel Report

We have witnessed a tremendous expansion in the theoretical foundations of signal processing, spurred by a multitude of applications in diverse fields of engineering and science. In our radar meteorological community, signal processing was seldom, if ever, an end in itself—it was usually the other way around. A new meteorologically useful parameter was identified, and methods were sought to extract it from the signal. This has happened with the velocity and spectrum width parameters, and is occurring right now with polarization variables. Often signal processing theory unifies what on first sight appears as different subjects, by spilling over discipline boundaries and bearing fruit in unintended applications. The subject of radar was particularly fertile, and signal processing techniques have found applications in profiling radars, lidars and weather radars, all of which are subjects of this volume.