Abstract: A system for measuring components of the velocity of wind along two axes that are transverse to the line of sight of the system includes first and second light emitter arrays disposed along crossed first and second axes, respectively, for illuminating the distribution with light, a detector for receiving light backscattered from the distribution, and a controller to activate the arrays, receive detector signals, and calculate the projections of the velocity of the distribution onto the first and second axes. The light emitters of each array can be positioned at irregular distances and provide the system with the capability of discerning the direction of movement of the distribution along the two axes.