Foreword
This foreword is by V J. Sundaram, former director of DRDL and RCI, Hyderabad; former project director of Prithvi; and former chairman of the programe management board for the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programe (IGMDP), DRDO, India
A Saturn V rocket blasts off and puts a man on the moon. The launch signals are of prime concern to aeronautical, mechanical, electrical and control engineers.
Thirty-five years later the Christmas spirit is shattered by a tsunami. Geologists and civil engineers scramble to study the earthquake signals. Though the events are totally different, the signal structures and analysis methods are similar. Before a surgeon picks up his knife, he asks for an electrocardiogram. A policeman turns to speech identification and biometrics to catch a kidnapper. A nanobot coursing through a human body emits signals to identify itself. Cricket captains scrutinise satellite images for signs of rain. Between the moon mission and the Christmas tsunami, signal processing has made giant strides, with the ubiquitous processor and embedded systems. Dow Jones could never have imagined the invasion of the business world by a tiny DSP with clock speeds going from megahertz to gigahertz.
Dr Rangarao has rich experience in systems – naval, missile, communications, business and education – covering both hardware and software, including full life cycle product development. He has aimed to bring out the basic commonality underlying efficient signal analysis in various fields, even though different terms may sometimes be used for the same operation. He has indicated how design cycle times can be reduced with MATLAB and co-simulation using DSPs, to enable faster product marketing without sacrificing quality and reliability.
The aim of a book, apart from comprehensive coverage, is to ignite the mind with a thirst for more. This Dr Rangarao has achieved with his practitioner's approach.
Lt. Gen. (Retd) Dr V. J. Sundaram PVSM, AVSM, VSM
Hyderabad, April 2005