Synthetic Aperture Radar: Hazards

What you will learn

• The mathematical and physical principles of SAR remote sensing
• How to access and visualize SAR data
• Interpretation of SAR images in the context of disaster monitoring
• Interferometric SAR (InSAR) concepts
• Flood mapping and SAR change detection for hazard analysis
• InSAR-based analysis of volcanoes and landslides
• Intuitive understanding of SAR image and phase information
• Understanding the properties of different SAR sensor types
• Ability to pick the optimal sensor for your application
• Creation of RGB color visualizations from images acquired at different times or in different polarizations
• Use of SAR images to map hazards such as flooding and deforestation
• Use of interferometric SAR techniques to measure cm-scale surface deformation related to volcanic activity and landslides
• Introduction to course
• Presentation of course syllabus
• Basic principles and capabilities of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imaging
• Concepts of Interferometric SAR processing and its applications to disaster monitoring
• Verified Track: Lab exercise on exploring SAR time series for flooding events
• Verified Track: Lab exercise analyzing and interpreting InSAR products
• The Concept of InSAR Time Series Analysis
• Point Target-Based InSAR Time Series Analysis
• Distributed Scatterer InSAR Time Series Analysis
• Verified Track: Lab exercise exploring PSI time series data over Norway
• Surface water signatures in SAR
• A Threshold-based surface water mapping method
• Verified Track: Hands-on flood mapping using Jupyter Notebooks
• SAR change detection techniques
• Verified Track: Lab exercise on time series change detection to map deforestation
• Review of InSAR workflow for a geophysical application
• Estimating volcano source model parameters from InSAR
• Verified Track: Lab exercise estimating Mogi source parameters for Okmok volcano, Alaska
• Landslides monitoring using SBAS InSAR
• Verified Track: Lab exercise mapping landslide motion in California using InSAR time series data

Program Overview

Remote sensing observations from airborne and spaceborne platforms have become an essential tool in disaster management. They provide an immediate and large-area overview of evolving disaster situations, revealing important hazard information to disaster response personnel.

This course will introduce you to Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), a remote sensing technology that can see the ground even during darkness and through rain, clouds, or smoke. As a participant in this course, you will gain an intuitive understanding of the information contained in SAR observations and learn to use a range of analysis techniques to apply SAR data to disaster mapping and management. Specific topics will include:

The mathematical and physical principles of SAR remote sensing

How to access and visualize SAR data

Interpretation of SAR images in the context of disaster monitoring

Interferometric SAR (InSAR) concepts

Flood mapping and SAR change detection for hazard analysis

InSAR-based analysis of volcanoes and landslides

The learned concepts will be put into action in simulated disaster response exercises, in which class participants will analyze SAR data sets to create hazard information for several real-life disaster events from the recent past.

Learners registered for the verified track will additionally get the opportunity for hands-on lab exercises using Jupyter Notebooks. The verified track will also include peer discussions and a verified certificate upon successful completion.