Sentinel-1:  Free Satellite for Remote Sensing

What is Sentinel-1?

A radar-based satellite providing continuous day/night imaging, unaffected by clouds.

Sentinel-1A vs. Sentinel-1B

Twin satellites for faster revisit times (6 days alone, 1-3 days combined).

SAR Technology Explained

Uses microwave radar to penetrate clouds, darkness, and vegetation.

Free Data Access

Available on Copernicus Open Hub, Google Earth Engine, and ASF DAAC.

Applications in Disaster Management

Monitors floods, earthquakes, oil spills, and landslides in real-time.

Agriculture & Soil Moisture Mapping

Helps track crop health, irrigation, and soil conditions.

Maritime & Ship Detection

Used for illegal fishing monitoring, iceberg tracking, and oil spill detection.

Deforestation & Forest Monitoring

Detects illegal logging and forest degradation with high precision.

Urban Expansion & Infrastructure

Tracks city growth, subsidence, and construction activities.

Glacier & Polar Ice Monitoring

Measures ice thickness, melting rates, and polar changes.

Sentinel-1 Data Formats (GRD, SLC, OCN)

GRD (ground range detected), SLC (single look complex), OCN (ocean data).

How to Process Sentinel-1 Data?

Tools: SNAP, QGIS, Google Earth Engine, Python (snappy library).

Sentinel-1 vs Sentinel-2 Bonus Fact: 

🌱🛰️🌱🛰️🌱🛰️Sentinel-1 can detect ground movements as small as millimeters (great for earthquake monitoring), while Sentinel-2's red-edge bands are specially tuned to reveal plant health invisible to our eyes!🌱🛰️🌱🛰️🌱🛰

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