Integration of geographic information system data for atmospheric turbulence modeling

Detailed geographic data, such as digital elevation models (DEM) and land use/land cover (LULC) information is incorporated into an atmospheric turbulence code to provide detailed modeling of the refractive index structure constant, C n 2 , in the surface layer and convective boundary layer (CBL) along an optical path. Optical turbulence in these layers is important in the evaluation of terrestrial free space optical communications systems. Turbulence in these layers is driven by surface heating and decreases rapidly with optical path height above the terrain. Detailed models have been developed by several authors, which estimate the C n 2 profile as a function of various surface and meteorological parameters. Implementation of these models requires the user to estimate the surface parameters, which may be variable along the path, for each specific application. Incorporation of geographic data into the models simplifies the inputs required and provides a more detailed and specific analysis of terrestrial free space optical communications systems.