PR – JAXA has been regularly observing the Arctic and Antarctic Circles as the two years between March 1, 2007, and March 1, 2009, are the International Polar Years. We are happy to announce that we have published on our website some of the images acquired by the Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR), one of the sensors onboard the DAICHI.
The PALSAR can carry out observations day and night on the earth’s surface, including ice, and then process the acquired images automatically through its computer. We made a preliminary image with a resolution of 500 meters within a few days after acquiring data to compile a mosaic image by gathering pieces.
One image covering a broader area of the Arctic and Antarctic Circles can be compiled in one recurrent period (46 days.) By comparing such images for a longer period, we can understand any changes in the ice and the land area covered around Arctic and Antarctic Circles. We have published some of the mosaic images taken in different time frames on the following page. We plan to update the images there.
The Advanced Land Observing Satellite “Daichi” (ALOS) has been developed to contribute to the fields of mapping, precise regional land coverage observation, disaster monitoring, and resource surveying. It enhances land observation technologies acquired through the development and operation of its predecessors, the Japanese Earth Resource Satellite-1 (JERS-1, or Fuyo) and the Advanced Earth Observing Satellite (ADEOS, or Midori).
ALOS has three sensors: the Panchromatic Remote-sensing Instrument for Stereo Mapping (PRISM), which is comprised of three sets of optical systems to measure precise land elevation; the Advanced Visible and Near Infrared Radiometer type 2 (AVNIR-2), which observes what covers land surfaces; and the Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR), which enables day-and-night and all-weather land observation.
“Daichi” will be used not only for cartography, but also for regional and disaster monitoring.
Daichi’s remote-sensing equipment enables precise land coverage observation and can collect enough data by itself for mapping on a scale of 25,000 to 1. without relying on points of reference on the ground. It is expected to play an important role in cartography by providing maps of Japan and other countries, including those in the Asia-Pacific region, which is one of ALOS’s main objectives. Other objectives include regional observation for harmonization between the environment and development on Earth, domestic and overseas disaster monitoring and resource surveys.
