TUDaBo a SAR Mode Processing Prototype for G-POD Altimetry Coastal and Open Ocean Performance

Description of data product

TUDaBo SAR-RDSAR (Technical University Darmstadt – University Bonn SAR-Reduced SAR), is a processor prototype developed to experiment with SAR mode data from L1A (FBR) to L2. Reduced SAR, unfocused SAR and LRMC data can be generated for both CryoSat-2 and Sentinel-3A. The processor is available both in-house at the University of Bonn and at the G-POD Service G-POD (Grid-Processing On Demand) at ESA.

The processor prototype TUDaBo was developed and tested by Christopher Buchhaupt and Luciana Fenoglio first at TU Darmstadt and then at the University of Bonn from 2014 to 2019. The actual release is version 1.6

For each mode, dedicated signal processing options and retrackers are available, which allow the user to experiment with different configurations. All L1B/L2 products for reduced SAR, unfocused SAR and LRMC have the same geolocations and time tags allowing a direct comparison without interpolation.

Data processing

L1B and L2 data are generated in the following modes: (1) reduced SAR (RDSAR), unfocused SAR (SAR) and (3) Low resolution Range Migration Correction (LRMC). Several signal processing and retrackers options are available. The output data products are in standard NetCDF format and follow in large part the format and variable names of RADS products.

Applications and Download

The G-POD graphic interface allows to select both geographical area of interest and time interval, for the Cryosat-2 or Sentinel-3A SAR FBR data products available in the service's catalogue. After the task submission, it is possible to follow, in real time, the status of the processed task.
Information about how to use the generic G-POD graphic interface are found in the G-POD wiki page.
The online SAR-RDSAR service is available here.

Contacts

Luciana Fenoglio, fenoglio@geod.uni-bonn.de

References

Fenoglio-Marc L., Buchhaupt C. (2020). TUDaBo a SAR Processing Prototype for GPOD, Altimetry coastal and Open Ocean Performance. Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document, ESA, EOEP-SEOM-EOPS-TN-17-046.

Fenoglio, L.,  Dinardo, S.,  Buchhaupt,  C., Uebbing, B.,  Scharroo, R.,   Kusche, J., Becker, M. and Benveniste, J. (2019) Calibrating CryoSat-2 and Sentinel-3A sea surface heights along the German coast, In: International Association of Geodesy Symposia. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, doi.org/10.1007/1345_2019_73.

Dinardo, S., Fenoglio-Marc, L., Buchhaupt, C., Becker, M., Scharroo, R., Fernandez, J., Benveniste, J. (2017). Coastal SAR and PLRM Altimetry in German Bight and Western Baltic Sea, Advance in Space Research, Special Issue CryoSat-2,doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2017.12.018.

Buchhaupt, C., Fenoglio-Marc, L., Dinardo, S., Scharroo, R., Becker, M. (2017) A fast convolution based waveform model for conventional and unfocused SAR altimetry. Advances in Space Research, Special Issue CryoSat-2, doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2017.11.039.