Methods to compress range doppler map (RDM) values from floating point to decibels (dB)

A method of converting an operating parameter of an airborne device from a range Doppler map (RDM) value in a binary floating point format to a compressed RDM value in decibels (dB), performed by a telemetry device comprising a processing circuitry, a memory storing instructions that are executed by the processing circuitry, the method comprising:

• receiving, from a sensor, the RDM value in the binary floating point format, the RDM value comprising an exponent comprising bits, the RDM value comprising a mantissa comprising bits;
• determining, by the processing circuitry, a first number based on a product of:
• a sum of the exponent and a predetermined bias term, the number 10, and a base-10 logarithm of the number 2;
• determining, by the processing circuitry, a second number using one or more most significant bits (MSBs) of the mantissa as an index into a predetermined lookup table, wherein values of the lookup table are equal to products of:
• the number 10, and a base-10 logarithm of a range of candidate mantissa values;
• determining, by the processing circuitry, the compressed number in dB by rounding, in accordance with a predetermined step size in dB, of a sum that includes the first number and the second number,
• wherein the compressed RDM value comprises a plurality of bits;
• and
• transmitting the compressed RDM value, produced by the telemetry device, to a receiving station via a telemetry link, where the compressed RDM value is processed, by the receiving station, to control at least one of speed, path, and destination of the airborne device.