Working with TerraSAR-X data

Created by the CNES (French Space Agency), DIAPASON interferometric processing chain is developed and commercialized by Altamira Information since 2000. DIAPASON performs INSAR processing for change detection as well as for DEM generation. With the release of DIAPASON version 4.3, a large community of international users is able to explore TerraSAR-X high resolution SpotLight and StripMap mode performances.

Apogee's DEEPBLUE™ Software is a complete maritime operation management system specifically targeted at coastal and maritime surveillance and fisheries. Integrating new SAR sensors such as TerraSAR-X DEEPBLUE™ provides a complete workflow from the optimisation of the complex planning of satellite acquisitions to the visualisation of a ship detection report in a 3-D user-friendly environment, along with analysis reporting and live feeds from other assets.

SOCET GXP^® is a geospatial-intelligence tool that uses imagery from satellite and tactical means to identify and analyze ground features. Using SOCET GXP, properties such as scale, elevation, latitude and longitude in a series of images can be measured and stored automatically in order to expedite geospatial production, image analysis, and map creation. The data then can be used to perform before-and-after site comparisons, coordinate operational missions, assess navigation safety and monitor changes over time. SOCET SET® is the established, market-leading software for geospatial analysis and photogrammetry, with powerful functionality for triangulation, DEM extraction, orthorectification, and feature collection. The software is renowned for its unequalled flexibility, depth, performance, and ability to ingest data from numerous government and commercial sources.

SARscape is designed as a specialized software package for processing and analyzing of SAR/InSAR data. SARscape is a modular set of functions dedicated to the generation of products based on airborne and spaceborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and of course fully supports TerraSAR-X data formats & products: SSC, MGD, GEC and EEC products for SM, HS, SL and SC acquisition modes. The modular set of functions covers the whole processing chain of SAR data starting from the generation of SAR products based on intensity and coherence, over the processing of Interferometric SAR and Differential Interferometric SAR for the generation of DEM’s, Coherence and Land Displacement Maps to the processing and classification of Polarimetric and Polarimetric Interferometric SAR data. SARscape® runs on Personal Computers and it is interfaced to ENVI® environment (version 4.1 onwards), hence enabling to simply launch the processing functions via standard dialog panels.

Definiens software enables the extraction of accurate and reliable geo-information from any kind of remote sensing imagery. Definiens Developer is a completely integrated environment designed for image analysis specialists to develop, test and package new image analysis applications. Definiens Developer can be used as a standalone tool or in combination with the Definiens eCognition® Server to provide a processing environment for the batch execution of image analysis jobs using a high-performance grid computing environment. Solutions created in Definiens Developer can also be packaged within Definiens Architect, a simple end user tool which enables domain experts and other users to calibrate and run image analysis applications.

GAMMA’s processing software, supports the entire processing chain from SAR raw data to higher level products as interferograms, DEMs, surface displacement maps. The software is grouped into packages each dealing with a specific aspect of the processing. The software processes data from spaceborne and airborne SAR and fully supports the data formats provided by the responsible space agencies and their designated processing and archiving facilities. The main processing sequences are complemented by parameter estimation and quality control programs, including display programs and utilities based on open source technology for convenient access to input data, intermediate products, and final results. Concerning TerraSAR-X interferometry as well as offset tracking techniques are supported, starting from SSC data. Furthermore, the Interferometric Point Target Analysis package, supports persistent scatterer interferometry.

GEOSYSTEMS stands for excellent GeoIT solutions based on leading-edge software from ERDAS® for remote sensing, radar image processing, photogrammetry and spatial data management. The IMAGINE Radar Mapping Suite is an extensive set of radar mapping tools including advanced interferometric SAR processing techniques. ERDAS developed the Radar Mapping Suite in co-operation with the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) and GEOSYSTEMS. ERDAS provides a global geospatial solution, designed for desktop and enterprise use. The portfolio includes software modules transforming source data into orthos, terrain, features, maps, 3D data, land cover data and processing models. OGC and ISO conform data management solutions help finding, describing, cataloguing and publishing data and web services.

The Remote sensing Software package Graz (RSG) is designed for geometric processing options of remote sensing data. It supports almost any kind of image data, acquired from airborne as well as space-borne sensors and comprising the geometric aspects of optical line scanners, SAR systems, perspective images and rational polynomial modelling. Based upon respective parametric sensor models, RSG covers a wide range of geometric and radiometric processing options. The Image Processing and Classification Toolkit (IMPACT) is designed for higher level image analyses capabilities. IMPACT covers a broad variety of image processing tools such as object based classification, image segmentation, change detection, visualization and analysis tools. These software packages show a highly modular design, which facilitates the implementation of customized end-to-end processing chains at considerably reduced development effort.

Delta SAR is a stand-alone software tool that automatically generates coherent change detection (CCD) imagery and amplitude change detection imagery (ACD) using standard data products provided from TerraSAR-X.  The following TerraSAR-X modes are currently supported:  High-Resolution Spotlight, Spotlight, Stripmap in the following product formats:  COSAR, GeoTIFF, SSC, MGD.  Delta SAR output products are currently in either GeoTIFF format or Flat Binary format.   Delta SAR may be run on a wide range of computer configurations including LINUX, Windows (XP and Vista) as well as Macintosh OSX.  64-bit operating systems are not required, but are highly recommended.  Perl and Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 1.5+ must be installed. 

Introduced in Geomatica v10.1.2, PCI Geomatics provides support for TerraSAR-X image products. This recently introduced support allows users of Geomatica to benefit from the high resolution X-band SAR imagery. Specifically, the OrthoEngine TerraSAR-X Add-On module supports TerraSAR-X data for orthorectification and mosaicing. Supported image formats for TerraSAR-X include MGD data; GDB support for TerraSAR-X. 

PHOTOMOD Radar software is intended for full-scale processing of Earth remote sensing data acquired by spaceborne radars with synthesized antenna aperture (SAR) such as TerraSAR-X. The program generates digital elevation models, deformation maps and similar output. The fact that SAR is the active sensor makes reception of required measurements possible independent of time, light and weather conditions.

RAT (Radar Tools) is a powerful open-source software tool for advanced processing of SAR remote sensing data, originally started as a student’s project and currently under further development at the Department of Computer Vision and Remote Sensing of the Technical University of Berlin. It is programmed in IDL (Interactive Data Language) and uses IDL widgets as graphical user interface. Current features include for example speckle filters, polarimetric basis transforms and decompositions, as well as an interferometric processing chain.

PolSARpro is a polarimetric SAR data processing and educational tool developed under contract to the European Space Agency by a consortium comprising IETR at the University of Rennes 1, The Microwaves and Radar Institute (HR) of DLR and AEL Consultants, together with Dr Mark L. Williams. The PolSARpro v3.3 software aims to facilitate the accessibility and exploitation of multi-polarised SAR datasets. The PolSARpro v3.3 software proposes a great collection of well-established algorithms and tools designed to handle and convert polarimetric data from a range of polarimetric Airborne Sensors and from a range of Spaceborne Sensors. All elements of the POLSARPRO project are distributed by ESA free of charge, including the source code under http://earth.esa.int/polsarpro/.