Frequently Asked Questions

1. How can I get data or images of (your favorite site here) ?

Take a look at our section devoted to this very topic!

2. What is the difference between radar images and radar data?

Radar images are typically byte images of some sort. Radar data is in a different format, sometimes due to the nature of the data. For polarimetric radars, the data volume of radar data can be quite large compared to a byte image. However, there may be a great deal more information than is present in the byte images.

The SIR-C Education CD-ROM describes the characteristics of radar data.

There is also what we call "raw" SAR data, which is the signal data that we process into images.

3. What is the difference between a radar image and a regular image like a camera would take ?

Imaging radars provide a unique way of looking at the Earth and other planetary bodies. An imaging radar works very like a flash camera in that it provides its own light to illuminate an area of interest and take a snapshot picture, but at radio wavelengths. The chief advantages of using radar are its ability to 'see ' at night and through thick cloud cover. There are currently several operational spaceborne and airborne imaging radars being used for remote sensing of the Ea rth's environment, with more to come in the near future. For a complete tutorial on the characteristics of radar data, see the SIR-C Education CD-ROM .