Deploying radar based on software-defined radios typically requires a year or more of development overhead. ORCA aims to streamline radar technology development by minimizing repeated efforts, reducing the barrier to entry, and promoting shared innovation.
By establishing an open-source ecosystem, ORCA lays a foundation for a community that collaborates on tool development and accelerates environmental discovery.
This website provides documentation for the ORCA codebase, along with instructions for building open-source instruments including general software-defined radars, Peregrine, and MAPPERR.
We also provide general strategies for extending our code to develope radar instruments customized to your research needs. Check out the full ORCA codebase here.
Open-Source Instruments
Software-Defined Radar
Our software-defined radar code works with most Ettus USRP software-defined radios. With a few hardware components and one YAML file, you can build a radar system, customized for your research needs.
Peregrine UAS
Use our guide to build Peregrine, a field-portable fixed-wing UAV equipped with a miniaturized ice-penetrating radar system.
MAPPERR
Use our guide to build MAPPERR, a multi-frequency snowmobile-towed ice-penetrating radar-radiometer system.
The HI-SNR Laboratory at the University of Colorado, Boulder is currently leaading the ORCA initiative.
ORCA was originally developed by the Stanford Radio Glaciology Lab.
