SARscape 5.7.0

Last update: M. Rubino, 18/07/2023


What's new

SARscape 5.7.0 is fully compatible with ENVI 5.7.0 and with the new NV5 Next-Generation Licensing system, the minimum supported version of ENVI is 5.6.0.

The newest release of SARscape - version 5.7.0 - introduces several new features and algorithmic improvements. The key features among the new enhancements are:

  • E-PS: The Enhanced - PS technique identifies Distributed Scatterers and Permanent Scatterers to improve the InSAR pixel coverage over rural areas by applying adaptive filtering on the interferometric phase. The typical level of detail of the PS displacement time series is applied to DS pixels too.
  • E-SBAS: Permanent Scatterers pixels are identified and processed together with Distributed Scatterers pixels, providing a more comprehensive and valuable output. E-SBAS is capable of measuring Non-Linear displacement trends on both PS and DS pixels.

    • New features:

          • EOS-04: Preliminary support of the data acquired by the EOS-04 C-Band SAR satellite. The supported products are: CRS Coarse Resolution ScanSAR Mode, Ground Range, MRS Medium Resolution ScanSAR Mode, Ground Range,FRS-1 Fine Resolution Mode, Single Look Complex or Ground Range. The use of a ground control point is required to achieve a precisely georeferenced image.
          • LuTan-1: Preliminary support of the data acquired by the LuTan-1 L-Band SAR satellite. The supported products are SLC Stripmap single and full polarization. The import process has been validated using a small dataset and an uncompleted parameter descriptions. For this reason, calibration might have issues.
          • SV-2: Preliminary support of the data acquired by the SV-2 X-Band SAR satellite. The supported products are SLC Stripmap single and full polarization. Currently, support is guaranteed and validated only for the Stripmap mode, while significant geocoding issues have been experienced with the Spotlight mode, discouraging its use in SARscape.
          • UMBRA SICD: Supported products: SLC Single Look Complex, Observation modes: Spotlight, Stripmap, Extended dwell, Scanning.
          • Sentinel-1, Thermal Noise Removal: A new flag has been introduced to allow the user removing the thermal noise during the import process.
          • Capella Archive Download: This tool allows one to perform a query to download Capella data from the Capella Space website archive (https://www.capellaspace.com/).
          • Projection Transformation: New developments introduced the possibility to generate ground range products starting from slant range, geo, GEC or georeferenced images. The ground range geometry can be used as common geometry for different products for classification purposes. Furthermore, the possibility to transform GEC and geo images in Slant-Range coordinates is required to generate Stereo DEMs.
          • Point Density Map: This tool creates a raster point density map based on a point shape file as input. It is intended to be used to visualize the geometrical distribution of valid displacement measurements generated by SBAS or PS processing.
          • Skew Estimation: This tool is used to compute the angular distortion on an input velocity to identifying the most relevant spatial variation of the deformation maps.
          • SBAS Variogram: Variogram tool is used to evaluate the performance of the atmosphere removal algorithms within the SBAS processing chain. This tool performs a statistical comparison before and after the application of an atmospheric filter.
          • Time Series Classification/Clustering: This tool clusters the deformation time series generated by PS or SBAS processes. It works by grouping nearby points according to their time-series similarity based on a modified DB Scan algorithm.
          • Enanched-PS: The Enhanced - PS technique identifies Distributed Scatterers and Permanent Scatterers to improve the InSAR pixel coverage over rural areas by applying adaptive filtering on the interferometric phase. The typical level of detail of the PS displacement time series is applied to DS pixels too.
          • Enanched-SBAS: The new E-SBAS technique identifies and process Permanent Scatterers pixels together with Distributed Scatterers ones, providing a more comprehensive and valuable output. ESBAS is capable of measuring Non-Linear displacement trends on both PS and DS pixels.
          • Conversion DEM to Slope and Aspect: This tool calculates the DEM Aspect stating from an input DEM.
          • Cartographic System: SARscape 5.7.0 has adopted the cartographic system already used by ENVI.
          • Conventional naming: The terms ‘’Master’’ and ‘’Slave’’ are replaced by the terms ‘’Reference’’ and ‘’Secondary’’.

    Improvements

          • Sentinel-1: Possibility to remove the thermal noise during the import process.
          • CSG: Automatic coregistration of the four polarizations (HH + VH + HV + VV) during the import process. This allow the user to perform polarimetric analysis. The original data has a native channel misalignment issue, therefore the different polarizations of the same acquisition are not aligned.
          • Sentinel Auxiliary Files Download: Possibility to download the orbital files for a specific time interval.
          • Layover and Shadow Mask Generation: Processing speed-up and improved precision.
          • Coastline Extraction: A new flag has been introduced to allow users working without considering tides. This feature can be applied to estimate the coastline of inland water bodies, such as lakes or rivers.
          • Error Messages: Improvements on the error message management, the new approach will help users in better identifies the cause of the issue.

    Third-Party Libraries

  • Six-library: SARscape is built against the six-library version 3.2.2, which currently supports SICD formats 0.3.1, 0.4.0, 0.4.1, 0.5.0, 1.0.0, 1.0.1, 1.1.0, 1.2.0, 1.2.1, 1.3.0 and SIDD formats 1.0.0, 2.0.0, 3.0.0.

    • End-of-Life (EOL) announcement

    Starting from the next SARscape sub-release, the following tools will reach their EOL and will be removed:
      • The tool Gaussian Gamma MAP will be dismissed (/Gamma and Gaussian Filtering/Single Look Complex/Gaussian Gamma). The SLC Gaussian DE MAP filter offers the same capabilities as the Gaussian Gamma tool and can be used as an alternative to it(Gamma and Gaussian Filtering/Single Look Complex/SLC Gaussian DE MAP).
      • The tools Sample Selection SAR Geometry data and Sample Selection Geographic Data will be merged in a single tool.
      • The workflow panels will be re-arranged.