A method of optimizing probe placement in a turbomachine is disclosed which includes determining wavenumber (Wn) of N dominant wavelets generated by upstream and downstream stators and blade row interactions formed around an annulus, establishing a design matrix A utilized in developing flow properties around the annulus having a dimension of m×(2N+1), iteratively modifying probe positions placed around the annulus and determining a condition number of the design matrix A for each set of probe positions until a predetermined threshold is achieved for the condition number representing optimal probe position, wherein the condition number is defined as norm A·norm A+, wherein A+ represents inverse of A for a square matrix and a Moore-Penrose pseudoinverse of A for a rectangular matrix.