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Robotic weather research

MS JADE SODDELL WITH THE AEROSONDE

Doctoral research conducted by an Applied Physics student is proving vital to a project team in the United States investigating weather conditions.

Earlier this month Ms Jade Soddell joined the Aerosonde Ltd team for the fourth stage of a meteorological project known as the Convection and Moisture Experiment (CAMEX-4).

Ms Soddell's doctoral work centres on the development of algorithms for the analysis of data from the Aerosonde, a small robotic aircraft developed for meteorological reconnaissance.

The company is participating in field research sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Using NASA-funded aircraft and sensing instrumentation, CAMEX-4 started earlier this month and concludes on 24 September.

Based in Miami, Ms Soddell is responsible for liaison with the mission controller, Aerosonde flight plans and data assimilation into the local forecast systems. "Participation in this field program is a great opportunity to collect additional data for my doctoral work," Ms Soddell said.

Ms Soddell has also developed algorithms to predict aircraft icing, a critical factor in the flight of small aircraft. In 1999 she served as a member of an Aerosonde Ltd. operations team during field trials of their reconnaissance system over the Bass Strait.

"It's been great working with Aerosonde," she said. "I've been able to see some of my work on icing implemented in real missions. Aerosonde Ltd has benefited too. Based on my analysis of the data collected, I've been able to provide feedback to improve their procedures."