1st ESA Training on Earth Observation 2010

From the 6th to the 10th of September 2010 ESA, the Polish Space Research Centre (PAS) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), in cooperation with the universities of Renes (France), Jena (Germany) and Tor Vergata (Italy), organised a training course in radar remote sensing.

The course was called “Radar Remote Sensing Technology and Environmental Applications 2010” and was addressed to participants from universities, the scientific community, and from institutions and organisations making use of geoinformation. The training took place at the premises of PAS in Warsaw, Poland.

MAIN TOPICS:

• ESA Earth Observation missions and data access
• SAR principles – fundamentals of radar remote sensing and radar processing (theory and computer practical sessions)
• Polarimetric SAR (theory and practical sessions)
• Introduction to Radar Interferometry (theory)
• Specific applications of SAR (theory and practical sessions)
  • Applications to forestry, agriculture, biomass
  • Applications to emergency mapping and disaster monitoring – example of flood monitoring

TEACHERS:

• Dr. Francisco Dekker (DLR – Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt)
• Dr. Laurent Ferro-Famil (Université de Rennes, France)
• Dr. Christian Thiel (University of Jena, Germany)
• Assisted by: Dr. Francesco Sarti (ESA), Eng. Fabiano Costantini (Univ.Tor Vergata c/o ESA)

COURSE CONTENTS:

Introduction to ESA Earth Observation

• The ESA Earth Observation Programmes: present status, Dr Francesco Sarti, ESA
• ESA EO data access, Dr. Francesco Sarti, ESA

Introduction to SAR

• Introduction to SAR 1, Dr. Paco López-Dekker, DLR
• Introduction to SAR II: Acquisition modes, Applications, and future trends, Dr. Paco López-Dekker, DLR
• Recent radar highlights from ENVISAT and other EO missions, Dr Francesco Sarti, ESA, Dr. Paco López-Dekker, DLR
• InSAR Principles: Guidelines for SAR Interferometry Processing and Interpretation, ESA

Disaster mapping

• PRACTICAL: NEST and GPOD demonstration, Fabiano Costantini, Tor Vergata University
• EO for Disaster Management: Results from the “International Charter Space & Major Disasters”, from “SAFER” and others, Dr Francesco Sarti, ESA

Forest Cover Mapping and Biomass Assesment

• Practical: Forest Cover Mapping and Biomass Assessment using PALSAR Intensities and Coherence, Dr. Christian Thiel, Friedrich Schiller University
• SAR Theory and Applications to Forest Cover and Disturbance Mapping and Forest Biomass Assessment, Dr. Christian Thiel, Friedrich Schiller University

Polimetry Applied to Agriculture and Vegetation

• Practical: Exercises and demonstrations of polarimetric SAR with PolSARpro: Theory and applications for agriculture & vegetation, Laurent Ferro-Famil, Universite de Rennes
• Polarimetry basics: Lecture on polarimetric SAR: Theory and applications for agriculture & vegetation, Laurent Ferro-Famil, Universite de Rennes
• PolSARpro v4.03 Forest Applications: Lecture on polarimetric SAR: Theory and applications for agriculture & vegetation, Laurent Ferro-Famil, Universite de Rennes