Background
To distribute digitally processed 1978 Seasat SAR data in 2013, engineers used the most recent version of the Hierarchical Data Format, or HDF5 file format. These Seasat HDF5 files are viewable using the ASF MapReady image processing software. Each HDF5 file consists of a metadata group and a data group, which contain the SAR data as backscatter values in the HH layer, as well as latitude, longitude, and temporal data.
Seasat data had been archived on magnetic tapes, and images processed from the tapes were available only as optical images of film strips or scanned digital images. Neither the tapes nor the film allow the quantitative analysis possible with the new digital archive.
Prerequisites
Materials List:
- Windows PC
- ASF MapReady
- HDF5-format Seasat Granule or Sample Granule