SARTREK Newsletter: April 2004

In This Issue:

1. Online Letter of Intent Submission Program Available
2. New High-Resolution Modes for RADARSAT-2: A Review
3. Upcoming Applications Work

Online Submission Program for Science and Operational Application Research (SOAR) Letters of Intent Now Available

RADARSAT International is pleased to announce that the online submission program for SOAR Letters of Intent (LOI) is now available. This program allows you to enter information regarding your proposed RADARSAT-2 project via the Internet. Prior to completing the LOI, please download the SOAR RFP at www.radarsat2.info. This RFP will provide you with all the necessary information to ensure your submission meets the goals and expectations of the SOAR program. Below is a summary of the type of information that is expected for each subprogram.

Please take a few moments to read a summary of important points regarding the use of the online submission program; doing so will save you time and aggravation!

The deadline for LOI submissions has been extended through to the end of 2004 to provide more time for interested parties to formulate their ideas. Updates to deadlines and submission times will be posted on this website as they become available.

New High-Resolution Modes for RADARSAT-2: A Review

Among the many new features of the RADARSAT-2 system are the Ultra-fine and Multi-look Fine beam modes. The features of these new beam modes will improve the interpretability of the collected images. The increased resolution capability offered by the Ultra-fine beam mode will be beneficial to mapping and surveillance applications.

Figure 1: Multi-polarized airborne data over Gagetown, New Brunswick provides an indication of what can be expected from RADARSAT-2 Ultra-Fine resolution products.

Upcoming Applications Work

RADARSAT International and C-CORE (St. John's, NL) have plans to investigate ship-iceberg discrimination using the enhanced polarimetric capability of RADARSAT-2. The results of this project will be used initially in Canada, and then later, internationally, to improve existing maritime surveillance and management activities. The enhanced polarimetric capabilities should provide better information in support of offshore exploration, marine transportation, and fisheries surveillance. In addition, as our understanding of the polarimetric capabilities of RADARSAT-2 expand, we will apply this to other RADARSAT-2 application development projects. The Earth Observation Applications Development Program (EOADP) of the Canadian Space Agency is sponsoring this project, along with a number of others, to enhance our understanding of the utilization of polarimetric data from RADARSAT-2. A list of these projects, as well as more information on the intent of the EOADP program, is available at http://www.space.gc.ca/asc/eng/media/press_room/news_releases/2004/040329.asp