SAR Toolbox

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Overview

The scope of the Earth Observation Data Management System (EODMS) is to provide users the ability to search and download Level 1 products from a range of satellites to fulfill their information needs. The application of Level 1 products from SAR satellites typically requires the use of special processing software and a high degree of expertise. To ease the application of products from RADARSAT-2 (R2) and the RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM), the Canada Centre for Mapping and Earth Observation (CCMEO) developed the SAR Toolbox (ST). The SAR Toolbox is integrated within EODMS and allows users to select a variety of processing options. Because the SAR Toolbox operates in a semi-automated manner, its use does not require significant interaction or SAR know-how. The SAR Toolbox allows users to define, save and reuse custom processing sequences. EODMS will notify users once processing has completed and the resultant products are available for download.

Access

SAR Toolbox is currently available to Government of Canada employees as well as all RCM vetted users.

Processing Methods

The products available from the SAR Toolbox have been selected through cross-department consultations and can be grouped as follows: Low-level, pre-processing products with a wide user base such as orthorectification, speckle filtering and more; Mid-level products such as polarimetric decompositions and others to enable broad use of RCM’s new Compact Polarimetric (CP) beam modes; and High level downstream products relating to land deformation (InSAR) and lake ice extent, which can inform the operations of the Government of Canada.

Methods by category

• Radiometry
  • Radiometric Calibration
• Ortho-rectification/Mosaic
  • Rational Function
  • Mosaic
• Filters
  • Average filter
  • Enhanced Lee Filter
  • GAMMA Map Filter
  • Lee Filter
  • Touzi-Lopes MMSE Filter
  • Median Filter
• Utilities
  • Complex to Detected Conversion
  • Incidence Angle Extraction
• Polarimetry
  • Freeman-Durden Decomposition
  • M-Chi Decomposition
  • M-Delta Decomposition
  • Pauli Decomposition
  • Touzi Polarimetric Decomposition
  • Compact Discriminators
  • Compact Polarization to Circular Polarization to (RR, RL)
  • Quad-Pol. to Compact-Pol. (RH, RV)
  • Quad-Pol to Full Circular (RR, RL, LR, LL)
• Interferometry
  • Ground deformation
  • Very large ground deformation
• Lake Ice Extent
  • Lake ice breakup (Release Still TBD)
• Analysis Ready data
  • CEOS ARD processing (Release Still TBD)

Processing methods and output products

For advanced and specific details about the different methods and processing options, the structure of the delivery package, directory structure, file naming convention, and metadata files see EODMS SAR Toolbox Method Definitions and Product Order Delivery Formats

Important points and limitations

1. The CCMEO ensures that the SAR Toolbox software and processing options are rigorous, scientifically sound, standardised, and well tested. However, CCMEO will not intervene in its operation by users nor will it assess the quality of the products that are delivered. In other words, CCMEO assumes that users will evaluate the quality of SAR Toolbox products and, in addition, have the ability to use the products correctly.

2. Users should be aware that the SAR Toolbox may not process their product order in near-real time (e.g., within a few hours). Depending on user demand and data volumes, the SAR Toolbox will stage the generation and delivery of products over timeframes that may range from few minutes to several days.

3. The current maximum number of products that can be submitted at the same time is currently limited to 10 products for regular SAR Toolbox processes (excluding InSAR, limit of 30 images). The current limit is to ensure everyone can expect their products delivery within a reasonable amount of time. This limit of 10 products within a single order may increase in the future.

4. If the category Interferometry or Lake ice extent is selected, all other categories won’t be available for selection. For the other categories, multiple options can be combined but they cannot be combined with Lake ice extent or interferometry categories.

5. After the selection of the methods, parameters and SAR images, the SAR Toolbox will validate all the selected options and make sure the processing request can be accomplished. This could result in the display of a Validation Processing Request Report. The validation could report WARNING, which will not prevent the SAR Toolbox to run the processing request, but would inform you important information about the request. On the other hand, the validation could report ERROR, which will prevent the SAR Toolbox to execute the request. The message following the ERROR will tell you how to fix the issue.

6. IMPORTANT: Please note the access to EODMS SAR Toolbox is restricted to RCM Vetted users only. Products derived from the SAR Toolbox are all subject to End User License Agreement. Except for non-image products from the interferometric SAR and Lake Ice Extent, all products generated from the SAR Toolbox should be considered as derived-products.

Training Sessions

• 20210519_SAR_Toolbox_InSAR_Details.pdf
• 20210512_-SAR_Toolbox-Session_Francais.pdf
• 20210505_-_SAR_Toolbox_Webinar.pdf

Acknowledgments

The Canada Centre for Mapping and Earth Observation developed the SAR Toolbox to deliver on-demand products through the Earth Observation Data Management System with the financial support from the Canadian Space Agency through RCM DUAP program.