Portable Systems

Radar Mapping of Volcanic Activity

The University of St. Andrews in St. Andrews, Scotland has developed AVTIS (All-weather Volcano Topography Imaging Sensor) for measuring the size, shape and temperature of volcanic lava domes under virtually any weather conditions. AVTIS uses a 94GHz millimeter wave radar to measure the distance to the volcano surface, and can record naturally emitted and reflected radiation at the same frequency. The data is used to build a 3D model of the lava dome.

The University of St. Andrews needed a lightweight, portable gimbal to point the radar. For field operations, the system required low power consumption so that it could operate from batteries. Sagebrush Technology provided a Model 20 with Stepping motors that operates at 12 Volts DC. The gimbal configuration includes an offset arm so that the radar can be located at the intersection of the azimuth and elevation axes.

(Photo courtesy of the University of St. Andrews)