RADARSAT image characteristics and application requirements

RADARSAT represents Canada´s entry into the arena of Earth observation satellite owner/operatorship. The RADARSAT program is supported by strong partnerships between Canadian and international industry, federal and provincial governments and various other partners. We review RADARSAT´s image characteristics, addressing various application requirements. The data collected by RADARSAT will be useful for a wide variety of applications in agriculture, cartography, coastal zone, forestry, geology, hydrology, land use, oceans and sea ice. The data may provide a cost-effective alternative to other forms of data acquisition, or may be used to optimize current data collection programs. RADARSAT´s all-weather imaging capabilities, multiple beam modes, and two look directions (ascending and descending orbits), provide users with an abundance of imaging choice