Free SAR satellite data

 

The wavelengths of SAR satellites are capable of penetrating clouds, fog, darkness, and smoke. This ability is very important in observing the earth accurately without being dependent on weather and time of day or night. For example, when a flood occurs, they are often accompanied by favorable weather conditions such as rain, wind, and clouds. In this case, the SAR image shows its superiority. 

Here, I would like to introduce some SAR remote-sensing images available for your research.

1. Sentinel 1

First, and number 1 priority is Sentinel 1. Sentinel-1 includes twin satellites that each carry C-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR), together providing all-weather, day and night imagery of Earth's surface.

Time available: 2014 - now

Resolution: 10m

Free access

Link: https://scihub.copernicus.eu/dhus/#/home

2. ALOS PALSAR

PALSAR was developed to contribute to the fields of mapping, precise regional land-coverage observation, disaster monitoring, and resource surveying.

Time available: 2006 - 2011

Resolution: 20m

Access: You can set request data-access proposal on Alaska Satellite Facility. Some data open access. For ALOS-PALSAR you must be a resident of the United States to receive approval for data access.

Link: https://asf.alaska.edu/how-to/get-started/

3. ALOS AVNIR-2

Advanced Visible and Near-Infrared Radiometer (AVNIR)-2 images have removed distortions caused by the sensor and terrain. 

Time available: 2006 - 2011

Resolution: 10-20m

Access: Order

Link: https://search.asf.alaska.edu/

4. RADARSAT-1

RADARSAT-1 was a powerful microwave instrument. It captured high-quality SAR images of the Earth night and day and in all weather conditions

Time available: 1996-2008

Resolution: 16m

Access: Order

Link: https://earth.esa.int/eogateway/catalog/radarsat-1-2-full-archive-and-tasking/

5. ERS

Primarily SAR imagery is suitable for interferometry

Time available: 1991-2011

Resolution: 30m

Access: Order

Link: https://search.asf.alaska.edu/

6. OTHER

Other SAR imagery is not freely available; these include: Radarsat-2, TerraSAR-X, and Cosmo-SkyMed. But archived SAR images from past missions can be freely obtained. For example, SAR images from Envisat/ASAR can be obtained from the ESA Category-1 programme (http://eopi.esa.int/). 

Also, for commercial images (Radarsat-2, TerraSAR-X, and Cosmo-SkyMed) there are opportunities for scientific use of data for free or reduced rates.