Data at a Glance

Description

From 2006 to 2011, PALSAR’s L-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) yielded detailed, all-weather, day-and-night observation, as well as repeat-pass interferometry. PALSAR data are from multiple observation modes with variable polarization, resolution, swath width, and off-nadir angle. PALSAR was one of three instruments on the Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS), also known as DAICHI, developed to contribute to the fields of mapping, precise regional land-coverage observation, disaster monitoring, and resource surveying. ALOS was a mission of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

(PLR). ScanSAR wide beam (WB1, WB2) operates with a considerable loss of resolution. See table below.

Dataset Property	Fine Resolution	Fine Resolution, additional	ScanSAR	Polarimetric
Temporal Coverage	2006-2011	2006-2011	2006-2011	2006-2011
Repeat Cycle	46 days	46 days	46 days	46 days
Spatial Coverage	North, Central, and South America – Complete Outside the Americas – Partial	North, Central, and South America – Complete Outside the Americas – Partial	North, Central, and South America – Complete Outside the Americas – Partial	North, Central, and South America – Complete Outside the Americas – Partial
Beam Mode	FBS, DSN	FBD	WB1, WB2	PLR
Center Frequency	L-Band (1.27 GHz)	L-Band (1.27 GHz)	L-Band (1.27 GHz)	L-Band (1.27 GHz)
Polarization	HH or VV	HH+HV or VV+VH	HH or VV	HH+HV or VV+VH
Spatial Resolution	10 m	20 m	100 m	30 m
Swath Width	70 km	70 km	250-350 km	30 km
Off-Nadir Angle	34.3° (default)	34.3° (default)	27.1°(default)	21.5° (default)
License	See License and Data Citation tab	See License and Data Citation tab	See License and Data Citation tab	See License and Data Citation tab
Download info	Data Discovery	Data Discovery	Data Discovery	Data Discovery
File format	L1.0,L1.1,L1.5,L2.2, RTC_LOW_RES, RTC_HI_RES,KMZ	L1.0,L1.1,L1.5,L2.2, RTC_LOW_RES, RTC_HI_RES,KMZ	L1.0,L1.1,L1.5,L2.2, RTC_LOW_RES, RTC_HI_RES,KMZ	L1.0,L1.1,L1.5,L2.2, RTC_LOW_RES, RTC_HI_RES,KMZ
Provider	Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).	Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).	Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).	Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
Date published:	2006-2011	2006-2011	2006-2011	2006-2011
Read more:	ALOS-PALSAR on the JAXA Website

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PALSAR cannot observe the areas beyond 87.8 degrees north latitude and 75.9 degrees south latitude when the off-nadir angle is 41.5 degrees. Read more on the JAXA website.

Product Summary

Platforms

ALOS

Instruments

NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar L-Band (L-SAR)

PALSAR

Spatial Extent

90.0°, -180.0°, -90.0°, 180.0°

Geographic Region

Global

Temporal Extent

2006-03-23 to 2011-04-22

Temporal Resolution

46 days

Data Partner

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

Citation

Citation is critically important for dataset documentation and discovery. This dataset is openly shared, without restriction, in accordance with the EOSDIS Data Use Policy.

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Data Center Citation

ALOS PALSAR - Crediting Data or Imagery

Credit use of data in publications such as journal papers, articles, presentations, posters, and websites. Include the DOI when available (each RTC ALOS PALSAR dataset processed by ASF has an assigned DOI).

Data Type	Format	Example
ALOS PALSAR L1.0 or L1.5	Dataset: ©JAXA/METI ALOS PALSAR [dataset name] [year of data acquisition]. Accessed through ASF DAAC, [link to website or insert comma and spell out in print: https://asf.alaska.edu] [day/month/year of data access]	Dataset: ©JAXA/METI ALOS PALSAR L1.0 2007. Accessed through ASF DAAC 11 June 2015.

ALOS PALSAR – Crediting Imagery

Include appropriate credit with each image used in publications such as journal papers, articles, presentations, posters, and websites.

Data Type	Format	Example
Primary or Derived Imagery	©JAXA/METI [year of data acquisition]	©JAXA/METI 2007.
Value Added Imagery	[creator credit, year created]; Includes Material – ©JAXA/METI [year of data acquisition]	ASF DAAC 2014; Includes Material ©JAXA/METI 2007.

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Documents

User Guide to the ALOS PALSAR Dataset from ASF		Oct 18, 2024
PALSAR Level 1.0 Product Format Description (ZIP file) ASF		Dec 12, 2017
MapReady How To Guide		Mar 1, 2022
Initial Calibration Result of JAXA standard products (As of October 23, 2006) PRISM Level 1B2 data products		Oct 23, 2006
Calibration Result of JAXA standard products (As of September 28, 2007) PRISM Level 1B2 data products		Sep 28, 2007
Calibration Result of JAXA standard products (As of Sep. 6, 2011) ALOS-2 and ALOS-3. PRISM Level 1B2 data products		Sep 6, 2011
Calibration Result of JAXA standard products (As of March 29, 2007), PRISM Level 1B2 data products		Mar 29, 2007
Calibration Result of JAXA standard products (As of July 1, 2009) PRISM Level 1B2 data products		Jul 1, 2009
ASF ALOS PALSAR RTC Product Specification		Jun 1, 2015
ALOS Data Users Handbook - Revision C		Mar 15, 2008
ALOS Data Users Handbook		Oct 26, 2006

Variables

SDS Name Sort descending	Description	Units	Data Type	Fill Values	No Data Value	Valid Ranges	Scale

Maps

ALOS PALSAR L1.5 Fine Beam Single Polarization (FBS) Coverage Map

ALOS L1.5 Fine Beam Single Polarization (FBS) Coverage Map

High Resolution

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ALOS PALSAR L1.5 Fine Beam Dual Polarization (FBD) Coverage Map

ALOS L1.5 Fine Beam Dual Polarization (FBD) Coverage Map

High Resolution

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ALOS PALSAR L1.5 Wide Beam (WB) Coverage Map

High Resolution

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ALOS PALSAR L1.5 Polarimetric (PLR) Coverage Map

High Resolution

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ALOS PALSAR Radiometric Terrain Correction (RTC) Coverage Map

High Resolution

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