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This online course provides foundational knowledge of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) remote sensing including SAR imaging, SAR interferometry, and the concepts of polarimetric SAR. The individual concepts will be illustrated with data sets from spaceborne and airborne SAR missions.
Remote sensing observations from airborne and spaceborne platforms have become an essential tool in earth observation and earth sciences. They provide an immediate and large-area overview of the evolving earth environment, revealing important information on the state of ecosystems, unfolding natural hazards, enabling change detection of geodynamic phenomena such as volcanoes, earthquakes, and the cryosphere.
This course will introduce you to Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), a remote sensing technology that can see the earth surface even during darkness and through weather conditions such as rain, clouds, or smoke. As a participant in this course, you will gain an intuitive understanding of the information contained in SAR observations. You will learn about the concepts and applications of interferometric SAR and experience how SAR data acquired at different polarizations can reveal a wealth of information about the earth environment. Each SAR analysis concept will be illustrated with relevant applications. Specific topics include:
Learners on the verified track will put their learned knowledge into action in data analysis and data processing exercises, in which class participants will analyze SAR data sets, generate and interpret interferometric SAR data, and explore the importance of polarization in earth observation. Learners who select the verified track will also have access to online computational labs and tutorials using Jupyter notebooks that will allow deeper exploration and practice.
This course is produced by the Alaska Satellite Facility at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, which has been selected as the NASA data hub for the upcoming NISAR mission.
General proficiency in GIS
For verified track: Basic knowledge in Python programming
ARSET Level-0 Training “Fundamentals of Remote Sensing” or equivalent
ARSET Level-1 Training “Introduction to Synthetic Aperture Radar” or equivalent
Participants in this course will develop the following skills:
Week 1: Course Introduction and Basic Capabilities of SAR
Week 1 will introduce you to the main content and structure of this course. You will also learn about the lab environment that will be available for learners on the “verified track”. The following items will be addressed:
Week 2: Introduction to Synthetic Aperture Radar Remote Sensing
Week 2 will introduce the main concepts of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR imaging along with the properties and information content of SAR data). You will also learn about the lab environment that will be available for learners on the verified track. Specific topics will include:
Week 3: Introduction to Interferometric SAR (InSAR)
Week 3 will introduce the concepts and applications of Interferometric SAR (InSAR) processing. InSAR uses the phase signal captured in SAR data to track subtle surface movements such as those related to seismic events and volcanic activity. Specifically, Week 3 will address the following items:
Week 4: The Concepts and Applications of Polarimetric SAR (PolSAR)
InSAR time series analysis techniques enable the tracking of cm-scale surface displacements over long times. These techniques are relevant for a number of hazard applications such as landslide and volcano monitoring. In Week 4 we will address:
Who can take this course?
Unfortunately, learners residing in one or more of the following countries or regions will not be able to register for this course: Iran, Cuba and the Crimea region of Ukraine. While edX has sought licenses from the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to offer our courses to learners in these countries and regions, the licenses we have received are not broad enough to allow us to offer this course in all locations. edX truly regrets that U.S. sanctions prevent us from offering all of our courses to everyone, no matter where they live.
Who can take this course?
Unfortunately, learners residing in one or more of the following countries or regions will not be able to register for this course: Iran, Cuba and the Crimea region of Ukraine. While edX has sought licenses from the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to offer our courses to learners in these countries and regions, the licenses we have received are not broad enough to allow us to offer this course in all locations. edX truly regrets that U.S. sanctions prevent us from offering all of our courses to everyone, no matter where they live.
