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  • News - General News

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    Go-to guide to Third Party Mission data offering

    ESA’s latest Third Party Missions Data Access Guide has been published, providing technical details and information on available data collections for all current or past Third Party Missions.

  • News - Thematic area articles

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    How to use space data to probe humankind’s ancient past

    Data disseminated by ESA’s Third Party Missions (TPM) programme are enabling archaeological investigations that could help to unravel the mysteries of past societies and cultures.

  • News - Success Stories

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    Commercial and international data for fire monitoring

    As climate change sparks a surge in the frequency and intensity of wildfires, satellite data disseminated through ESA’s Third Party Missions (TPM) programme are helping scientists to track and investigate these potentially damaging natural events.

  • News - Data Release news

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    Two new ESA archive collections have been opened for PlanetScope and SkySat

    PlanetScope ESA archive and SkySat ESA archive collections are available through ESA’s Third Party Missions programme via Fast Approval Registration.

  • Data - Fast Registration with approval (Restrained)

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    SkySat ESA archive

    The SkySat ESA archive collection consists of SkySat products requested by ESA supported projects over their areas of interest around the world and that ESA collected over the years. The dataset regularly grows as ESA collects new products. Two different product types are offered, Ground Sampling Distance at nadir up to 65 cm for panchromatic and up to 0.8m for multi-spectral. EO-SIP Product Type Product Description Content SSC_DEF_SC Basic and Ortho scene Level 1B 4-bands Analytic /DN Basic scene Level 1B 4-bands Panchromatic /DN Basic scene Level 1A 1-band Panchromatic DN Pre Sup resolution Basic scene Level 3B 3-bands Visual Ortho Scene Level 3B 4-bands Pansharpened Multispectral Ortho Scene Level 3B 4-bands Analytic/DN/SR Ortho Scene Level 3B 1-band Panchromatic /DN Ortho Scene SSC_DEF_CO Ortho Collect Visual 3-band Pansharpened Image Multispectral 4-band Pansharpened Image Multispectral 4-band Analytic/DN/SR Image (B, G, R, N) 1-band Panchromatic Image The Basic Scene product is uncalibrated, not radiometrically corrected for atmosphere or for any geometric distortions inherent in the imaging process: Analytic - unorthorectified, radiometrically corrected, multispectral BGRN Analytic DN - unorthorectified, multispectral BGRN Panchromatic - unorthorectified, radiometrically corrected, panchromatic (PAN) Panchromatic DN - unorthorectified, panchromatic (PAN) L1A Panchromatic DN - unorthorectified, pre-super resolution, panchromatic (PAN) The Ortho Scene product is sensor and geometrically corrected, and is projected to a cartographic map projection: Visual - orthorectified, pansharpened, and colour-corrected (using a colour curve) 3-band RGB Imagery Pansharpened Multispectral - orthorectified, pansharpened 4-band BGRN Imagery Analytic SR - orthorectified, multispectral BGRN. Atmospherically corrected Surface Reflectance product. Analytic - orthorectified, multispectral BGRN. Radiometric corrections applied to correct for any sensor artifacts and transformation to top-of-atmosphere radiance. Analytic DN - orthorectified, multispectral BGRN, uncalibrated digital number imagery product Radiometric corrections applied to correct for any sensor artifacts Panchromatic - orthorectified, radiometrically correct, panchromatic (PAN) Panchromatic DN - orthorectified, panchromatic (PAN), uncalibrated digital number imagery product The Ortho Collect product is created by composing SkySat Ortho Scenes along an imaging strip. The product may contain artifacts resulting from the composing process, particular offsets in areas of stitched source scenes. Spatial coverage: Check the spatial coverage of the collection on a map available on the Third Party Missions Dissemination Service. As per ESA policy, very high-resolution imagery of conflict areas cannot be provided.

  • News - Data Release news

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    PlanetScope and Skysat data available through ESA’s Third Party Missions Programme

    Through ESA’s Third Party Missions Programme, researchers, scientists and companies from around the world can apply to access Planet’s high-frequency, high-resolution satellite data for non-commercial use.

  • News - Success Stories

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    Predicting crop yield using Planet data

    The world’s population continues to grow, while the climate crisis is raising Earth’s temperatures and increasing the likelihood of extreme weather events – all of which affect food security.

  • News - Infographics

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    PlanetScope and SkySat - The high-resolution nanosatellite constellation

    Find out more about the PlanetScope and SkySat missions in our new infographic.

  • News - Data Release news

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    TerraSAR-X/TanDEM-X WorldDEM data now available to users

    WorldDEM products have been added to the TerraSAR-X/TanDEM-X offering and are now available to users for research and application development following submission of a project proposal subject to evaluation and acceptance by ESA and the data owner.

  • News - Infographics

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    An overview of ESA's Third Party Missions programme

    ESA’s Third Party Missions programme consists of almost 50 satellite missions, which are owned by organisations around the world. ESA has agreements with these organisations to acquire, process, and distribute data from their missions

  • Event - Training

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    4th Advanced Training Course in Land Remote Sensing

    ESA organised the 4th Advanced Training Course in Land Remote Sensing which took place in Athens, Greece from 1 to 5 July 2013

  • Event - Training

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    2nd Advanced Course on Radar Polarimetry 2013

    The advanced ESA course provided an introduction to the basics and advanced concepts of theory, scattering concepts, systems and applications typical of radar polarimetric remote sensing.

  • Event - Workshop

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    POLinSAR 2013

    The objectives of the PolInSAR 2013 workshop were to present the latest studies and results of SAR polarimetry and polarimetric interferometry.

  • Data - Project Proposal (Restrained)

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    TerraSAR-X/TanDEM-X full archive and tasking

    TerraSAR-X/TanDEM-X full archive and new tasking products can be acquired in six image modes with flexible resolutions (from 0.25 m to 40 m) and scene sizes and are provided in different packages: Staring SpotLight (basic, Interferometric pack, and Maritime pack) High Resolution SpotLight (basic, Interferometric pack, and Maritime pack) SpotLight (basic, Interferometric pack, and Maritime pack) StripMap (basic, Interferometric pack, and Maritime pack) ScanSAR (basic and Maritime pack) Wide ScanSAR (basic and Maritime pack) Product Overview Products SAR-ST SAR-HS SAR-SL SAR-SM SAR-SC SAR-WS Instrument mode Staring Spotlight High Resolution SpotLight SpotLight StripMap ScanSAR Wide ScanSAR Available resolutions (up to) 0.25 m 1 m 2 m 3 m 18 m 40 m Scene size 4x3.7 km2 10x5 km2 10x10 km2 30x50 km2 (up to 30x1650) 100x150 km2 (up to 100x1650) 270x200 km2 (up to 270x1500) Available processing levels SSC (Single Look Slant Range Complex): azimuth - slant range (time domain) MGD (Multi Look Ground Range Detected): azimuth - ground range (without terrain correction) GEC (Geocoded Ellipsoid Corrected): map geometry with ellipsoidal corrections only (no terrain correction performed) EEC (Enhanced Ellipsoid Corrected): map geometry with terrain correction, using a DEM Format SSC: DLR-defined COSAR binary MGD: GeoTiff GEC: GeoTiff EEC: GeoTiff Spatial coverage Worldwide Interferometry package InSAR-ST, InSAR-HS, InSAR-SL, InSAR-SM Only SSC At least five ordered scenes within six months from first order N/A N/A Maritime Monitoring package MmSAR-ST, MmSAR-HS, MmSAR-SL, MmSAR-SM, MmSAR-SC, MmSAR-WS Only SSC, MGD, GEC At least 75% of the scene area is water More than five ordered scenes in three months The following WorldDEM products can be requested: Products Description WorldDEMcore WorldDEMcore is output of interferometric processing of StripMap data pairs without any post-processing WorldDEMTM WorldDEMTM is produced based on WorldDEMcore, representing the surface of the Earth (including buildings, infrastructure and vegetation). Hydrological consistency is ensured WorldDEM DTM In additional editing steps, WorldDEMTMis transformed into a Digital Terrain Model (DTM) representing bare Earth elevation WorldDEM Bundle Includes WorldDEMTM, WorldDEM DTM, and Quality Layers The main specifications of the WorldDEM products are: Horizontal Coordinate Reference System: World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS84-G1150) Vertical Coordinate Reference System: Earth Gravitational Model 2008 (EGM2008) Absolute Horizontal Accuracy: <6 m Vertical Accuracy: 2 m Relative, 4 m Absolute Quality Layers (including water body mask) can be requested as an option with the WorldDEM and WorldDEM DTM Auxiliary Layers are delivered together with the WorldDEMcore product As per ESA policy, very high-resolution data over conflict areas cannot be provided.

  • Data - Project Proposal (Restrained)

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    SkySat Full Archive and New Tasking

    The SkySat Level 2B Basic Scene, Level 3B Ortho Scene and Level 3B Consolidated full archive and new tasking products are available as part of Planet imagery offer. The SkySat Basic Scene product is uncalibrated and in a raw digital number format, not corrected for any geometric distortions inherent in the imaging process. Rational Polynomial Coefficients (RPCs) is provided to enable orthorectification by the user. Basic Scene Product Components and Format Processing Levels Analytic (unorthorectified, radiometrically corrected, multispectral BGRN) Analytic DN (unorthorectified, multispectral BGRN) Panchromatic DN (unorthorectified, panchromatic) Product Components and Format Image File (GeoTIFF format) Metadata File (JSON format) Rational Polynomial Coefficients (Text File) UDM File (GeoTIFF format) Image Configuration 4-band Analytic DN Image (Blue, Green, Red, NIR) 1-band Panchromatic DN Image (Pan) Ground Sampling Distance 3.7 m at nadir (average at reference altitude 475 km) Ground Sampling Distance (nadir) Panchromatic 0.86m and Multispectral 1.0m for SkySat-1&2 Panchromatic 0.65m and Multispectral 0.8m for SkySat-3 to 13 (0.72 m and 1.0m for data acquired before 30/06/2020) Accuracy <50 m RMSE The SkySat Ortho Scene is sensor- and geometrically-corrected (by using DEMs with a post spacing of between 30 and 90 meters) and is projected to a cartographic map projection; the accuracy of the product will vary from region to region based on available GCPs. Different products are available: The SkySat Visual Ortho Scene product is orthorectified, pansharpened, and color-corrected (using a color curve) 3-band RGB Imagery The SkySat Pansharpened Multispectral Scene product is orthorectified, pansharpened 4-band BGRN Imagery The SkySat Analytic DN Ortho Scene product is orthorectified, multispectral BGRN, uncalibrated, digital number imagery product. The product has been processed to remove distortions caused by terrain; It eliminates the perspective effect on the ground (not on buildings), restoring the geometry of a vertical shot. Transformation to at-sensor radiance is not included The SkySat Panchromatic DN Ortho Scene product is orthorectified, panchromatic, uncalibrated, digital number imagery product. It has a finer GSD than the Analytic Product. Transformation to at-sensor radiance is not included. The SkySat Analytic Ortho Scene are calibrated multispectral imagery products with radiometric corrections applied to correct for any sensor artifacts and transformation to top-of-atmosphere radiance. The SkySat Consolidated Product are Ortho Collect product created by composing ~60 SkySat Ortho Scenes (Visual, Pansharpened Multispectral, Analytic DN, Panchromatic DN) along an imaging strip into segments Ortho Scene Product Components and Format Visual Ortho Pansharpened Multispectral Analytic DN Ortho Panchromatic DN Ortho Analytic Ortho Product Components and Format Image File (GeoTIFF format) Metadata File (JSON format) Rational Polynomial Coefficients (Text File) UDM File (GeoTIFF format) Image File (GeoTIFF) Metadata File (JSON format) Rational Polynomial Coefficients (Text File) UDM File (GeoTIFF format) Image File (GeoTIFF format) Metadata File (JSON format) Rational Polynomial Coefficients (Text File) UDM File (GeoTIFF format) Image File (GeoTIFF format) Metadata File (JSON format) Rational Polynomial Coefficients (Text File) UDM File (GeoTIFF format) Image File (GeoTIFF format) Metadata File (JSON format) Rational Polynomial Coefficients (Text File) UDM File (GeoTIFF format) Image Configuration 3-band Pansharpened Image (PS Red, PS Green, PS Blue) 4-band Pansharpened Image (PS Blue, PS Green, PS Red, PS NIR) 4-band Analytic DN Image (B, G, R, N) 1-band Panchromatic Image 4-band Analytic Image (B, G, R, N) Ground Sampling Distance 50 cm 50 cm 50 cm 50 cm 50 cm Projection UTM WGS84 UTM WGS84 UTM WGS84 UTM WGS84 UTM WGS84 Accuracy <10 m RMSE <10 m RMSE <10 m RMSE <10 m RMSE radiometric accuracy: +/- 5% Relative accuracy at < 10 degrees off-nadir angle As per ESA policy, very high-resolution imagery of conflict areas cannot be provided.

  • Mission - Third Party Missions

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    TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X

    The TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X satellites feature a unique geometric accuracy that is unmatched by any other spaceborne sensor.

  • Activity - Quality

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    EDAP

    The ESA Earthnet Data Assessment Pilot (EDAP) project will perform assessments for various missions to ensure the delivered data is fit for purpose.

  • Event - Conference

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    IGARSS 2019

    World-class scientists, engineers and educators in geoscience and remote sensing gathered in Yokohama, Japan, for the 39th annual IGARSS symposium.

  • Event - Meeting

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    VH-RODA and CEOS SAR workshop

    The workshop provided an open forum for the presentation and discussion of current status and future developments related to the calibration and validation of space borne very high-resolution SAR and optical sensors and data products.

  • Mission - Third Party Missions

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    SkySat

    SkySat is a constellation of high-resolution Earth imaging satellites from the commercial company Planet Labs.