Product catalogue
Results for calibration of Sentinel-1A using the Australian corner reflector array
Geoscience Australia has permanently deployed 40 trihedral corner reflectors in Queensland, Australia, covering an area of approximately 20,000 km2. The array of corner reflectors was constructed as part of the AuScope Australian Geophysical Observing System (AGOS) initiative to monitor crustal deformation using Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) techniques. The array includes 34 corner reflectors of 1.5m, 3 reflectors of 2.0m and 3 reflectors of 2.5m inner leg dimensions. Through the design process and the precision manufacturing techniques employed, the corner reflectors are also highly suitable for calibration and validation of satellite-borne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) instruments.
Nine of the 1.5m corner reflectors in the AGOS array had their Radar Cross Section (RCS) individually characterised at the Defence Science and Technology Organisation¿s outdoor ground reflection range, prior to permanent deployment in Queensland. The RCS measurements for the corner reflectors were carried out at X and C-band frequencies for both horizontal and vertical transmit-receive polarisations, and at a range of elevation and azimuth alignments.
The field performance of the AGOS corner reflectors has been studied using SAR data from a range of satellites including Sentinel-1A. This study focuses on the calibration of the Sentinel-1A satellite presenting results from exercises undertaken both at Geoscience Australia and the European Space Agency¿s Mission Performance Centre as part of the satellite commissioning and routine phases. Radiometric calibration results in conjunction with geometric calibration and validation results for Sentinel-1A products from Stripmap and Terrain Observation with Progressive Scans (TOPS) modes are presented in this paper.
The current configuration for most corner reflectors in the AGOS array is set to serve calibration requirements for a broad range of SAR missions on ascending orbital passes. However, the design allows for mission-specific corner reflector alignment if needed, as in the case of the 2.5m and 2.0m reflectors which have specifically been aligned to support calibration of the L-band SAR instrument on ALOS-2. Results reported in this paper could inform the need for re-configuring one or more corner reflectors in the array to specifically support ongoing calibration of the Sentinel-1A and B satellites.
The permanently deployed AGOS corner reflector infrastructure presents an opportunity for independent calibration and comparison of SAR instruments on current and future satellite missions, and is considered an important Australian contribution to the global satellite calibration and validation effort.
Presented at the 2016 Living Planet Symposium (LPS16) Prague, Czech Republic
Simple
Identification info
- Date (Creation)
- 2016-04-27T10:30:00
- Date (Publication)
- 2024-04-29T04:48:10
- Citation identifier
- Geoscience Australia Persistent Identifier/https://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/100084
- Cited responsible party
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Role Organisation / Individual Name Details Author Thankappan, M.
Space Division Internal Contact Author Garthwaite, M.
External Contact Author Meadows, P.
External Contact Author Miranda, N.
External Contact Author Schubert, A.
External Contact Author Small, D.
External Contact Publisher Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia)
Voice
- Name
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Living Planet Symposium (LPS16), 9-13 May 2016, Prague, Czech Republic
- Purpose
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Poster for presentation at the European Space Agency Living Planet Symposium, 9-13 May 2016, Prague, Czech Republic
- Status
- Completed
- Point of contact
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Role Organisation / Individual Name Details Point of contact Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia)
Voice Resource provider Space Division
External Contact Point of contact Thankappan, M.
Space Division Internal Contact
- Spatial representation type
- Topic category
-
- Geoscientific information
Extent
Extent
))
- Maintenance and update frequency
- Not planned
Resource format
- Title
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Product data repository: Various Formats
- Website
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Data Store directory containing the digital product files
Data Store directory containing one or more files, possibly in a variety of formats, accessible to Geoscience Australia staff only for internal purposes
- theme.ANZRC Fields of Research.rdf
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EARTH SCIENCES
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- Keywords
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Calibration and Validation
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- Keywords
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Synthetic Aperture Radar - SAR
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- Keywords
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Terrain Observation with Progressive Scans TOPS Interferometry
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- Keywords
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Sensor performance
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- Keywords
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Published_External
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Resource constraints
- Title
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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence
- Alternate title
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CC-BY
- Edition
-
4.0
- Access constraints
- License
- Use constraints
- License
- Other constraints
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© Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia) 2016
Resource constraints
- Title
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Australian Government Security ClassificationSystem
- Edition date
- 2018-11-01T00:00:00
- Classification
- Unclassified
- Language
- English
- Character encoding
- UTF8
Distribution Information
- Distributor contact
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Role Organisation / Individual Name Details Distributor Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia)
Voice facsimile
- OnLine resource
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Link to Conference Page
Link to Conference Page
- Distribution format
-
- OnLine resource
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Link to Abstract (Paper 562)
Link to Abstract (Paper 562)
- Distribution format
-
Resource lineage
- Statement
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Poster for conference
- Hierarchy level
- Document
Metadata constraints
- Title
-
Australian Government Security ClassificationSystem
- Edition date
- 2018-11-01T00:00:00
- Classification
- Unclassified
Metadata
- Metadata identifier
-
urn:uuid/9807fb24-62b3-4066-a7d7-2f362fbdc640
- Title
-
GeoNetwork UUID
- Language
- English
- Character encoding
- UTF8
- Contact
-
Role Organisation / Individual Name Details Point of contact Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia)
Voice Owner Thankappan, M.
Space Division Internal Contact Point of contact Thankappan, M.
Space Division Internal Contact
Type of resource
- Resource scope
- Document
- Name
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Conference Poster & Presentation
Alternative metadata reference
- Title
-
Geoscience Australia - short identifier for metadata record with
uuid
- Citation identifier
- eCatId/100084
- Date info (Creation)
- 2016-04-27T16:15:24
- Date info (Revision)
- 2016-05-05T13:46:35
Metadata standard
- Title
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AU/NZS ISO 19115-1:2014
Metadata standard
- Title
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ISO 19115-1:2014
Metadata standard
- Title
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ISO 19115-3
- Title
-
Geoscience Australia Community Metadata Profile of ISO 19115-1:2014
- Edition
-
Version 2.0, September 2018
- Citation identifier
- https://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/122551