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F. CARSEY, R. HARDING, C. WALES
9.1.1
ASF Vision and Mission
The ASF is the facility which will fulfill all data system aspects for the United States (US)
Government allocation of data from the Canadian Space Agency's RADARSAT. ASF is
an end-to-end facility. It compiles and submits requests for data to be taken by the satellite. It schedules and receives data directly at antennas at Fairbanks and McMurdo, as
well as receiving data by courier from other network ground stations around the world.
All data received either directly or by courier will be archived as raw signal data for a
minimum of 10 years after end of mission (or longer depending on mission). All
RADARSAT data (as well as data from ERS-l, ERS-2, and JERS-l) are processed to image
level (or higher) within the facility. A variety of level-l products are produced for distribution to users as well as a limited set of higher-level products. ASF also provides
software tools for basic manipulation of SAR images; iliese tools are available through
the ASF website (http://www.asf.alaska.edu/daac_documents).
The ASF vision is to advance polar research and earili sciences by supporting the scientific and operational application of remote sensing data in order to better understand
the earth as a system. ASF's mission is described as follows:
- Acquire, process, distribute, and archive remote sensing data in support of research,
operational applications, and education.
- Participate in programs for scientific validation and applications of ilie remote sensing data acquired at the facility.
- Support users with acquisition planning, data processing tools, field program data,
and resident expertise.
- Implement systems or functions that generate higher-level geophysical data products.
- Preserve and provide access to geophysical data and maps.
- Design and develop systems to accommodate evolving requirements, changing technology, and future sensors.
- Contribute to education at the university, primary, secondary and community levels
through student involvement, lectures, curriculum development, electronic information exchange, and tours.
In general ASF data products are to be distributed to US federal agencies and approved
science investigators. To become an approved investigator, it is necessary to submit a
short (about two-page) proposal to ASF; this proposal is reviewed by ASF and NASA.
There are periodic opportunities to gain access to data and research funding through
NASA; the most recent of these was ilie Applications, Development and Research
Announcement (ADRO) published by Canada in 1995.AS a general rule ASF image data
cannot be freely distributed to third parties as intellectual property rights are retained
by the flight agencies, but derived products from which SAR backscatter values are no
longer obtainable are not included in this restriction.
F. CARSEY, R. HARDING, C. WALES
9.1.1
ASF Vision and Mission
The ASF is the facility which will fulfill all data system aspects for the United States (US)
Government allocation of data from the Canadian Space Agency's RADARSAT. ASF is
an end-to-end facility. It compiles and submits requests for data to be taken by the satellite. It schedules and receives data directly at antennas at Fairbanks and McMurdo, as
well as receiving data by courier from other network ground stations around the world.
All data received either directly or by courier will be archived as raw signal data for a
minimum of 10 years after end of mission (or longer depending on mission). All
RADARSAT data (as well as data from ERS-l, ERS-2, and JERS-l) are processed to image
level (or higher) within the facility. A variety of level-l products are produced for distribution to users as well as a limited set of higher-level products. ASF also provides
software tools for basic manipulation of SAR images; iliese tools are available through
the ASF website (http://www.asf.alaska.edu/daac_documents).
The ASF vision is to advance polar research and earili sciences by supporting the scientific and operational application of remote sensing data in order to better understand
the earth as a system. ASF's mission is described as follows:
- Acquire, process, distribute, and archive remote sensing data in support of research,
operational applications, and education.
- Participate in programs for scientific validation and applications of ilie remote sensing data acquired at the facility.
- Support users with acquisition planning, data processing tools, field program data,
and resident expertise.
- Implement systems or functions that generate higher-level geophysical data products.
- Preserve and provide access to geophysical data and maps.
- Design and develop systems to accommodate evolving requirements, changing technology, and future sensors.
- Contribute to education at the university, primary, secondary and community levels
through student involvement, lectures, curriculum development, electronic information exchange, and tours.
In general ASF data products are to be distributed to US federal agencies and approved
science investigators. To become an approved investigator, it is necessary to submit a
short (about two-page) proposal to ASF; this proposal is reviewed by ASF and NASA.
There are periodic opportunities to gain access to data and research funding through
NASA; the most recent of these was ilie Applications, Development and Research
Announcement (ADRO) published by Canada in 1995.AS a general rule ASF image data
cannot be freely distributed to third parties as intellectual property rights are retained
by the flight agencies, but derived products from which SAR backscatter values are no
longer obtainable are not included in this restriction.