(SAR) to Support Agricultural Monitoring 2 - Group on Earth ...

International GEO Workshop on <strong>SAR</strong> <strong>to</strong> <strong>Support</strong> <strong>Agricultural</strong> Moni<strong>to</strong>ring
3.2 Scientific and Operational Requirements, Challenges and
Strategies
This section summarizes the main findings of the three breakout groups for Scientific and
Operational Requirements, Challenges and Strategies. Although the three groups were
divided along application lines (Crop Production, Water Availability, Land Management),
their conclusions were remarkably consistent. They further concluded that the differences
between the challenges, solutions, actions and owners for Scientific use and Operational use
were similar, and should be treated as a universal set of recommendations. The findings of
the three breakout groups are shown in Appendix C.
The highest priority challenge of the participants was <strong>SAR</strong> Data Access, which had several
aspects:
• Reduced data cost
• Improved data policies (e.g. data access and sharing, data continuity)
• Easier data discovery and order process (e.g. global portal)
• Greater access <strong>to</strong> new acquisitions
• Greater access <strong>to</strong> his<strong>to</strong>rical data archives
• Coordination <strong>to</strong> existing in-situ data
• Data sharing based on international standards (e.g. Open Geospatial Consortium or
OGC)
• Access <strong>to</strong> geometrically corrected and ortho-rectified or ready-<strong>to</strong>-use data.
The second priority challenge was the Need <strong>to</strong> Reduce the Gap between Research and
Operational Users. This was manifested in the following forms:
• Integration of expertise and knowledge domain specific with Remote Sensing (e.g.
soil + hydrology)
• Community awareness of <strong>SAR</strong> data
• Education and technology transfer
• Development and improved availability of models or methods <strong>to</strong> derive information
from data
• Availability of operational software.
The third priority challenge was related <strong>to</strong> Satellite Configuration, which had the following
aspects:
• New ‘moni<strong>to</strong>ring focussed’ <strong>SAR</strong> systems optimized for specific applications with
improved design of future systems
• Improved spatial (swath) coverage
• Higher spatial (pixel) resolution
• Desired <strong>SAR</strong> frequency (wavelength) available
• Desired <strong>SAR</strong> polarization available
• Improved revisit/re-look of satellite passes
• Improved timeliness of satellite data access.
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