ASF design considerations for Radarsat/ERS-2

The paper examines the requirements and the design considerations of the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) ground data system for the Alaska SAR Facility (ASF) at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks (UAF) for the new era of Radarsat/ERS-2 missions. These include a new data acquisition planning capability to manage more satellites with global planning and to manage more than one instrument mode; a new archive strategy that is cheaper, faster, and better; a product generation system to produce data on demand and to produce data for the varied instruments and modes, and a product verification ability for the new and old products. In response to these new functional requirements, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is using a design approach that emphasizes an open systems, client/server architecture based on industry standards and commercial off-the-shelf technology. This approach will provide room for growth and flexibility in meeting future mission requirements. In addition, the paper discusses the performance issues and product specifications.