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News - Infographics
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
News - Infographics
An overview of the PAZ SAR satellite mission
Learn more about the PAZ mission, a Spanish X-Band SAR satellite and part of ESA's Third Party Missions programme, in our latest infographic.
News - Success Stories
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.
Event - Training
EO Summer School 5
ESA's series of summer schools, on Monitoring of the Earth System, aims to promote the exploitation of Earth observation data.
News - Thematic area articles
Global understanding of Earth's land surfaces greatly boosted by satellite data
ESA perform land surface monitoring with a range of instruments onboard satellites acquiring optical and radar data. Collections of data from these missions are freely available for research purposes.
News - General News
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
How satellite data help to shape society
Data from ESA’s Earth observation archives are improving understanding of the interactions between human activities and the environment, helping to power green economic development and boosting prosperity in Europe and beyond.
Event - Conference
Living Planet Symposium 2019
ESA's Living Planet Symposia are amongst the biggest Earth observation conferences in the world. Scientists present their latest findings on Earth's environment and climate.
Event - Conference
Living Planet Symposium 2022
Learn about the 2022 edition of ESA's Living Planet Symposium.
News - Data Release news
New imaging modes added to PAZ collection
Two new imaging modes, Wide ScanSAR and Staring Spotlight, have been added to the PAZ 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 - Success Stories
New open-source Python library improves rapid mapping services
In emergency services, rapid response is paramount. ICube-SERTIT’s Rapid Mapping Service provides near real-time delivery of geo-information to help emergency services respond quickly to disasters such as flooding, fires and landslides. A new Python open-source library, called EOReader, speeds up this mapping response by enabling the easy opening of imagery from multiple satellite sensors, both optical and synthetic aperture radar (SAR).
Mission - Third Party Missions
PAZ
The PAZ (Spanish for “peace”) satellite, operates as a constellation alongside TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X.
News - Success Stories
PAZ - Spain's radar success
One way of collecting images in unfavourable weather is to use Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). PAZ is one such Earth observation mission capable of delivering all-weather imagery thanks to its X-band SAR.
News - General News
PAZ data now available to users worldwide
ESA is pleased to announce the availability of the PAZ satellite products to the scientific community, for R&D activities and start-ups.
Data - EO Sign In Authentication (Open)
PAZ ESA archive
The PAZ ESA archive collection consists of PAZ Level 1 data previously requested by ESA supported projects over their areas of interest around the world and, as a consequence, the products are scattered and dispersed worldwide and in different time windows. The dataset regularly grows as ESA collects new products over the years. Available modes are: StripMap mode (SM): SSD less than 3 m for a scene 30 km x 50 km in single polarization or 15 km x 50 km in dual polarisation ScanSAR mode (SC): the scene is 100 x 150 km2, SSD less than 18 m in signle pol only Wide ScanSAR mode (WS): single polarisation only, with SS less than 40 m and scene size of 270 x 200 km2 Spotlight modes (SL): SSD less than 2 m for a scene 10 km x 10 km, both single and dual polarization are available High Resolution Spotlight mode (HS): in both single and dual polarisation, the scene is 10x5 km2, SSD less than 1 m Staring Spotlight mode (ST): SSD is 25 cm, the scene size is 4 x 4 km2, in single polarisation only. The available geometric projections are: Single Look Slant Range Complex (SSC): single look product, no geocoding, no radiometric artifact included, the pixel spacing is equidistant in azimuth and in ground range Multi Look Ground Range Detected (MGD): detected multi look product, simple polynomial slant-to-ground projection is performed in range, no image rotation to a map coordinate system is performed Geocoded Ellipsoid Corrected (GEC): multi look detected product, projected and re-sampled to the WGS84 reference ellipsoid with no terrain corrections Enhanced Ellipsoid Corrected (EEC): multi look detected product, projected and re-sampled to the WGS84 reference ellipsoid, the image distortions caused by varying terrain height are corrected using a DEM. The following table summarises the offered product types. EO-SIP product type Operation Mode Geometric Projection Geometric Projection PSP_SM_SSC Stripmap (SM) Single Look Slant Range Complex (SSC) PSP_SM_MGD Stripmap (SM) Multi Look Ground Range Detected (MGD) PSP_SM_GEC Stripmap (SM) Geocoded Ellipsoid Corrected (GEC) PSP_SM_EEC Stripmap (SM) Enhanced Ellipsoid Corrected (EEC) PSP_SC_MGD ScanSAR (SC) Multi Look Ground Range Detected (MGD) PSP_SC_GEC ScanSAR (SC) Multi Look Ground Range Detected (MGD) PSP_SC_EEC ScanSAR (SC) Geocoded Ellipsoid Corrected (GEC) PSP_SC_SSC ScanSAR (SC) Enhanced Ellipsoid Corrected (EEC) PSP_SL_SSC Spotlight (SL) Single Look Slant Range Complex (SSC) PSP_SL_MGD Spotlight (SL) Multi Look Ground Range Detected (MGD) PSP_SL_GEC Spotlight (SL) Geocoded Ellipsoid Corrected (GEC) PSP_SL_EEC Spotlight (SL) Enhanced Ellipsoid Corrected (EEC) PSP_HS_SSC High Resolution Spotlight (HS) Single Look Slant Range Complex (SSC) PSP_HS_MGD High Resolution Spotlight (HS) Multi Look Ground Range Detected (MGD) PSP_HS_GEC High Resolution Spotlight (HS) Geocoded Ellipsoid Corrected (GEC) PSP_HS_EEC High Resolution Spotlight (HS) Enhanced Ellipsoid Corrected (EEC) PSP_ST_SSC Staring Spotlight (ST) Single Look Slant Range Complex (SSC) PSP_ST_MGD Staring Spotlight (ST) Multi Look Ground Range Detected (MGD) PSP_ST_GEC Staring Spotlight (ST) Geocoded Ellipsoid Corrected (GEC) PSP_ST_EEC Staring Spotlight (ST) Enhanced Ellipsoid Corrected (EEC) PSP_WS_SSC Wide ScanSAR (WS) Single Look Slant Range Complex (SSC) PSP_WS_MGD Wide ScanSAR (WS) Multi Look Ground Range Detected (MGD) PSP_WS_GEC Wide ScanSAR (WS) Geocoded Ellipsoid Corrected (GEC) PSP_WS_EEC Wide ScanSAR (WS) Enhanced Ellipsoid Corrected (EEC) As per ESA policy, very high-resolution data over conflict areas cannot be provided.
News - Data Release news
PAZ ESA archive now open to users
The PAZ ESA archive collection is now freely available for researchers worldwide through ESA's Third Party Missions programme.
Data - Project Proposal (Restrained)
PAZ Full Archive and New Tasking
PAZ Image Products can be acquired in eight image modes with flexible resolutions (from 1 m to 40 m) and scene sizes. Thanks to different polarimetric combinations and processing levels the delivered imagery can be tailored specifically to meet the requirements of the application. Available modes are: StripMap mode (SM): in single and dual polarisation: The ground swath is illuminated with a continuous train of pulses while the antenna beam is pointed to a fixed angle, both in elevation and in azimuth. ScanSAR mode (SC): in single polarisation: the swath width is increased in respect to the StripMap mode, it is composed of four different sub-swaths, which are obtained by antenna steering in elevation direction Wide ScanSAR mode (WS), in single polarisation: the usage of six sub-swaths allows to obtain a higher swath coverage product Spotlight modes: in single and dual polarisation: Spotlight modes take advantage of the beam steering capability in the azimuth plane to illuminate for a longer time the area of interest: a sensible improvement of the azimuth resolution is achieved at the expense of a shorter scene size. Spotlight mode (SL) is designed to maximise the azimuth scene extension at the expense of the spatial resolution, and High Resolution Spotlight mode (HS) is designed to maximize the spatial resolutions at the expense of the scene extension. Staring Spotlight mode (ST), in single polarisation: The virtual rotation point coincides with the center of the beam: the image length in the flight direction is constrained by the projection on-ground of the azimuth beamwidth and it leads to a target azimuth illumination time increment and to achieve the best azimuth resolution. There are two main classes of products: Spatially Enhanced products (SE): Designed with the target of maximize the spatial resolution in pixels with squared size, so the larger resolution value of azimuth or ground range determines the square pixel size, and the smaller resolution value is adjusted to this size and the corresponding reduction of the bandwidth is used for speckle reduction. Radiometrically Enhanced products (RE): Designed with the target of maximize the radiometry, so the range and azimuth resolutions are intentionally decreased to significantly reduce speckle by averaging several looks. The following geometric projections are offered: Single Look Slant Range Complex (SSC): Single look product of the focused radar signal: the pixels are spaced equidistant in azimuth and in slant range. No geocoding is available, no radiometric artifacts included. Product delivered in the DLR-defined binary COSAR format. The SSC product is intended for applications that require the full bandwidth and phase information, e.g. for SAR interferometry and polarimetry. Multi Look Ground Range Detected (MGD): Detected multi look product in GeoTiff format with reduced speckle and approximately square resolution cells on ground. The image coordinates are oriented along flight direction and along ground range; the pixel spacing is equidistant in azimuth and in ground range. A simple polynomial slant to ground projection is performed in range using a WGS84 ellipsoid and an average, constant terrain height parameter. No image rotation to a map coordinate system is performed and interpolation artifacts are thus avoided. Geocoded Ellipsoid Corrected (GEC): Multi look detected product in GeoTiff format. It is projected and re-sampled to the WGS84 reference ellipsoid assuming one average terrain height. No terrain correction performed. UTM is the standard projection, for polar regions UPS is applied. Enhanced Ellipsoid Corrected (EEC): Multi look detected product in GeoTiff format. It is projected and re-sampled to the WGS84 reference ellipsoid. The image distortions caused by varying terrain height are corrected using an external DEM; therefore the pixel localization in these products is highly accurate. UTM is the standard projection, for polar regions UPS is applied. StripMap Single StripMap Dual ScanSAR Wide ScanSAR Spotlight Single Spotlight Dual HR Spotlight Single HR Spotlight Dual Staring Spotlight Mode ID SM-S SM-D SC WS SL-S SL-D HS-S HS-D ST Polarizations HH, VV, HV, VH HH/VV, HH/HV, VV/VH HH, VV, HV, VH HH, VV, HV, VH HH, VV, HV, VH HH/VV, HH/HV, VV/VH HH, VV, HV, VH HH/VV, HH/HV, VV/VH HH, VV, HV, VH Scene size (Range x Azimuth) [km] 30 x 50 15 x 50 100 x 150 [273-196] x 208 10 x 10 10 x 10 10-6 x 5 (depending on incident angle) 10 x 5 [9-4.6] x [2.7-3.6] Range Resolution [m] MGD, GEC, EEC (SE)[Ground range] 2.99 - 3.52 at (45° - 20°) 6 N/A N/A 1.55 - 3.43 at (55° - 20°) 3.09 - 3.5 at (55° - 20°) 1 - 1.76 at (55° - 20°) 2 - 3.5 at (55° - 20°) 0.96 -1.78 at (45°- 20°) MGD, GEC, EEC (RE) [Ground range] 6.53 - 7.65 at (45° - 20°) 7.51 - 10.43 at (45° - 20°) 16.79 - 18.19 at (45° - 20°) 35 3.51 - 5.43 at (55° - 20°) 4.98 - 7.63 at (55° - 20°) 2.83 - 3.11 at (55° - 20°) 4 - 6.2 at (55° - 20°) 0.97 - 1.78 at (45°-20°) SSC[Slant range] 1.1 (150 MHz bandwidth) 1.7 (100 MHz bandwidth) 1.18 1.17 - 3.4 (depending on range bandwidth) 1.75 - 3.18 (depending on range bandwidth) 1.18 1.17 0.6 1.17 0.59 Azimuth Resolution [m] MGD, GEC, EEC (SE) 3.05 6.11 N/A N/A 1.56 - 2.9 at (55° - 20°) 3.53 1 - 1.49 at (55 °- 20°) 2.38 - 2.93 at (55° - 20°) 0.38 - 0.7 at (45°-20°) MGD, GEC, EEC (RE) 6.53 - 7.60 at (45° - 20°) 7.52 - 10.4 at (45° - 20°) 17.66 - 18.18 at (45° - 20°) 39 3.51 - 5.4 at (55° - 20°) 4.99 - 7.64 at (55° - 20°) 2.83 - 3.13 at (55° - 20°) 4 - 6.25 at (55° - 20°) 0.97 - 1.42 at (45°-20°) SSC 3.01 6.04 18.5 38.27 1.46 3.1 1.05 2.16 0.22 As per ESA policy, very high-resolution data over conflict areas cannot be provided.
Data - Sample Data (Open)
PAZ Sample Data
Download free PAZ sample datasets to preview products available for this mission.
Mission - Earth Watch
PROBA-V
The PROBA-V mission provides multispectral images to study the evolution of the vegetation cover on a daily and global basis.
Data - External Data (Restrained)
PROBA-V 1 km, 333 m, and 100 m products
The PROBA-V VEGETATION Raw products and Synthesis products provided coverage of all significant landmasses worldwide with, in the case of a 10-day synthesis product, a minimum effect of cloud cover, resulting from selection of cloud-free acquisitions during the 10-day period. It provided a daily coverage between Latitudes 35°N and 75°N, and between 35°S and 56°S, and a full coverage every two days at the equator. The VEGETATION instrument was pre-programmed with an indefinite repeated sequence of acquisitions. This nominal acquisition scenario allowed a continuous series of identical products to be generated, with the goal to map land cover and vegetation growth across the entire planet every two days. Level Synthesis Resolution resolution (m) Reflectance Level-1C n/a TOA Level-2A n/a 100 m TOA 333 m TOA 1 km TOA Level-3 S1 100 m TOA TOC TOC NDVI 333 m TOA TOC 1 km TOA TOC S5 100 m TOA TOC TOC NDVI S10 333 m TOC TOC NDVI 1 km TOC TOC NDVI Raw Products Overview Product Description Level-1C Level-1C segments (P – product): Radiometrically corrected Level-1B data, in raw sensor geometry (unprojected) Contains: - Top Of Atmosphere reflectance in the four spectral bands - Longitude/latitude information for every pixel - Geometric viewing conditions - Information on the status map (indicating missing and interpolated measurements). Format: HDF5 & GeoTiFF Level-2A Level-2A segment: projected Level-1C (P–product) data, radiometrically and geometrically corrected. Contains: - TOA reflectance values in the four spectral bands without atmospheric correction being performed - Information on the status map (containing identification of radiometric quality, snow, ice, shadow, clouds, land/sea for every pixel) - Geometric viewing conditions Plate carrée projection (EPSG:4326) with spatial resolution of 100 m, 333 m and 1 km Format: HDF5 & GeoTiFF Synthesis Products Overview Level-3 S1 = daily, S5 = 5 days, S10 = decade Different spatial resolution: 100 m, 333 m and 1 km Divided into so called granules, each measuring 10 degrees x 10 degrees, each granule being delivered as a single file Plate carrée projection (EPSG:4326) Format: HDF5 & GeoTiFF Products Content TOA - Top Of Atmosphere reflectance in the four spectral bands (no atmospheric correction applied) - Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) -Information on the composite status map (containing identification of snow, ice, shadow, clouds, land/sea for every pixel) - Geometric viewing conditions & date and time of selected measurement TOC Level-2A segment: projected Level-1C (P–product) data, radiometrically and geometrically corrected. Contains: - Top Of Canopy (ground surface) reflectance in the four spectral bands, the atmospheric correction being performed using the SMAC (Simplified Method for Atmospheric Corrections) algorithm - Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) - Information on the composite status map (containing identification of snow, ice, shadow, clouds, land/sea for every pixel) Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from Top Of Canopy product (SMAC algorithm for atmospheric corrections applied) - Geometric viewing conditions & date and time of selected measurement TOC NDVI Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from Top Of Canopy product (SMAC algorithm for atmospheric corrections applied)