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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 - Infographics
The COSMO-SkyMed series - Two generations of SAR satellites
Learn about the COSMO-SkyMed (Constellation of small Satellites for the Mediterranean basin Observation) series in our latest infographic.
News - Events and Proceedings
Very High Resolution data to take centre stage
In the last few years, European New Space providers have helped strengthen the offering of very high resolution remote sensing data products—a designated workshop this November aims to focus on the latest developments in this arena.
News - General News
How SNAP facilitates access to ESA Third Party Missions data
The tool – called the Sentinel Applications Platform (SNAP) – incorporates high-quality remote sensing data from numerous missions, including those operated by the agency’s international partners, known as Third Party Missions (TPM).
News - Thematic area articles
Satellite data boost global understanding of land surface
Understanding our changing land surface is essential in the study of climate change. Satellites are used to monitor changes to the material that covers Earth’s surface, so-called land cover, such as vegetation and water.
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
Mission - Third Party Missions
COSMO-SkyMed Series
COSMO-SkyMed (COnstellation of small Satellites for the Mediterranean basin Observation) Series aims to provide global Earth observation that can be repeated several times a day in all-weather conditions.
Data - Data Description
COSMO-SkyMed ESA archive
The COSMO-SkyMed archive collection consists of COSMO-SkyMed products requested by ESA supported projects over their areas of interest around the world. The dataset regularly grows as ESA collects new products over the years. The following list delineates the characteristics of the SAR measurement modes that are disseminated under ESA Third Party Missions (TPM). STRIPMAP HIMAGE (HIM): achieving medium resolution (3m x 3m single look), wide swath imaging (swath extension ≥40 km). STRIPMAP PINGPONG (SPP): achieving medium resolution (15 m), medium swath imaging (swath ≥30 km) with two radar polarization's selectable among HH, HV, VH and VV. SCANSAR WIDE (SCW): achieving radar imaging with swath extension of 100x100 km2 and a spatial resolution of 30x30 m2. SCANSAR HUGE (SCH): achieving radar imaging with swath extension of 200x200 km2 and a spatial resolution selectable of 100x100 m2. Processing Levels: Level 1A - Single-look Complex Slant - (SCSB and SCSU), RAW data focused in slant range-azimuth projection, that is the sensor natural acquisition projection; product contains In-Phase and Quadrature of the focused data, weighted and radiometrically equalised.The processing of the 1A_SCSU product differs from that of the 1A_SCSB product for the following features:a non-weighted processing is performed, which means that windowing isn't applied on the processed bandwidth; radiometric equalisation (in terms of compensation of the range antenna pattern and incidence angle) is not performed; hence only compensation of the antenna transmitter gain and receiver attenuation and range spreading loss is applied. Level 1B - Detected Ground Multi-look (DGM): product obtained detecting, multi-looking and projecting the Single-look Complex Slant data onto a grid regular in ground. Spotlight Mode products are not multi-looked. Level 1C - Geocoded Ellipsoid Corrected (GEC) and Level 1D - Geocoded Terrain Corrected (GTC): Obtained projecting the Level 1A product onto a regular grid in a chosen cartographic reference system. In case of Lev 1C the surface is the earth ellipsoid while for the Lev 1D a DEM (Digital Elevation Model) is used to approximate the real earth surface. Spatial coverage: Check the spatial coverage of the collection on a map available on the Third Party Missions Dissemination Service.
Data - Data Description
COSMO-SkyMed full archive and tasking
The archive and new tasking X-band SAR products are available from COSMO-Skymed (CSK) and COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation (CSG) missions in ScanSAR and Stripmap modes, right and left looking acquisition (20 to 60° incidence angle). COSMO-SkyMed modes: Acquisition Mode Single look Resolution [Az. X. Rg, SCS] (m) Scene size [Az. X. Rg] (km) Polarisation Scene duration (seconds) Number of looks Multilook resolution (m) Geolocation accuracy ±3 s (m) [DGM, GEC, GTC] Stripmap Himage 2.6 x 3 40 x 40 Single: HH, HV, VH, VV 7 3 5 25 Stripmap PingPong 9.7 x 11 30 x 30 Alternate: HH/VV, HH/HV, VV/VH 6 3 20 25 ScanSAR Wide 23 x 13.5 100 x 100 Single: HH, HV, VH, VV 15 4 - 9 30 30 ScanSAR Huge 38 x 13.5 200 x 200 Single: HH, HV, VH, VV 30 25 - 66 100 100 COSMO-Skymed Second Generation Modes: Acquisition Mode Single look Resolution [Az. X. Rg, SCS] (m) Scene size [Az. X. Rg] (km) Polarisation Scene duration (seconds) Number of looks Multilook resolution (m) Geolocation accuracy ±3 s (m) [DGM, GEC, GTC] Stripmap 3 x 3 40 x 40 Single (HH, VV, HV, VH) or Dual (HH+HV, VV+VH) 7 2 x 2 4 x 4 5 x 5 11 x 11 3.75 Stripmap PingPong 12 x 5 30 x 30 Alternate (HH/VV, HH/VH-HV/VV) 6 1 x 2 2 x 5 12 x 10 22 x 25 12 ScanSAR 1 20 x 4 100 x 100 Single (HH, VV, HV, VH) or Dual (HH+HV, VV+VH) 15 1 x 3 1 x 5 20 x 13 23 x 27 35 x 40 12 ScanSAR 2 40 x 6 200 x 200 Single (HH, VV, HV, VH) or Dual (HH+HV, VV+VH) 30 1 x 4 1 x 7 3 x 16 40 x 27 47 x 54 115 x 135 12 Following Processing Levels are available, for both CSK and CSG: SCS (Level 1A, Single-look Complex Slant): data in complex format, in slant range projection (the sensor's natural acquisition projection) and zero doppler projection, weighted and radiometrically equalised; the coverage corresponds to the full resolution area illuminated by the SAR instrument DGM (Level 1B, Detected Ground Multi-look): product obtained detecting, multi-looking and projecting the Single-look Complex Slant data onto a grid regular in ground: it contains focused data, amplitude detected, optionally despeckled by multi-looking approach, radiometrically equalised and represented in ground/azimuth projection GEC (Level 1C, Geocoded Ellipsoid Corrected): focused data, amplitude detected, optionally despeckled by multi-looking approach, geolocated on the reference ellipsoid and represented in a uniform preselected cartographic presentation. Any geometric correction derived by usage of terrain model isn't applied to this product by default GTC (Level 1D, Geocoded Terrain Corrected): focused data, fully calibrated with the usage of terrain model, amplitude detected, optionally despeckled by multi-looking approach, geolocated on a DEM and represented in a uniform preselected cartographic presentation. The image scene is located and accurately rectified onto a map projection, through the use of Ground Control Points (GCPs) and Digital Elevation Model (DEM); it differs from GEC for the use of the DEM (instead of reference ellipsoid) for the accurate conversion from slant to ground range and to approximate the real earth surface. The list of available data can be retrieved using the CLEOS COSMO-SkyMed products catalogue. User registration is required to use the catalogue.
Event - Conference
IGARSS 2019
World-class scientists, engineers and educators in geoscience and remote sensing gathered in Yokohama, Japan, for the 39th annual IGARSS symposium.
Event - Workshop
POLinSAR 2019
ESA organised POLinSAR 2019, the 9th International Workshop on Science and Applications of SAR Polarimetry and Polarimetric Interferometry.
Event - Meeting
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
COSMO-SkyMed
COSMO-SkyMed is an Italian Earth-imaging constellation consisting of four identical satellites which launched between 2007 and 2010.
Event - Training
2nd Advanced Training Course on Land Remote Sensing 2009
This 2009 advanced ESA training course focused on land remote sensing theory and applications.
Event - Workshop
POLinSAR 2009
The 2009 workshop focused on theory and methods in the fields of SAR Polarimetry and Polarimetric Interferometry
Document - Product Specifications
COSMO-SkyMed-Second-Generation-Mission-Products-Description.pdf
This document provides an overview of the COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation mission and describes its data products.