Integrating SAR data into Geographical Information Systems (GIS)

Since the 1960s, satellite remote-sensing has increasingly become a primary source of information on our planet. Direct distribution of the resulting data has, however, been mainly limited to a small community of users, Meanwhile, it has become evident that direct access to this data is also desired by a wider range of users - such as urban planners, Earth resource managers and insurance brokers - who have been managing territorial information using Geographical Information Systems (GIS). In order to fulfil the requirement of moving relevant and current data into these types of systems, data must be extracted from the satellite sensors into a compatible format, In a study performed for ESA, Planetek (I) investigated whether new GIS-oriented products could provide ERS-1 and ERS-2 SAR data to these user communities, The study was focused on two key issues: to identify an end-user product and to specify an appropriate format for product distribution.