DA10 measures attenuated backscatter profiles from the ground to a measurement range of 18 000 m (59 000 ft). Profiles are reported at 4.8 m (15 ft 9 in) height intervals. The averaging time can be adjusted between 5 seconds and 2 minutes (available later); the default is 1 minute. The profile timestamp indicates the end of the data collection period.
The measurement is based on the attenuated backscatter profile measured at offline wavelength to minimize the impact of water vapor absorption. The unit for attenuated backscatter profile intensity is one per meter per steradian (m-1 sr-1).
The reported profiles are combinations of measured profiles from the near-range measurement unit and the far-range measurement unit. The transition from the near-range measurement to the far-range measurement occurs between the 400 m and 600 m (1312 ft and 1968 ft) range. The transition is a linear change with a 100 % weighting of the near-range measurement at the lower limit and a 100 % weighting of the far-range measurement at the upper limit.
The following figure shows an example of the attenuated backscatter profile. The 1‑dimensional profile is taken from within a 1-minute period contained in the 2-dimensional data displayed in Figure 2. The signal between 1150 m and 1300 m (3773 ft and 4265 ft) is from cloud, and the signal below it from precipitation.