Processing of the C-band polarimeter on the environment Canada CV-580 — A review

The Environment Canada SAR-580 system includes a fully polarimetric, airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) at C-band which is used for a number of purposes. These include support of the Emergencies Science functions of Environment Canada and research in advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar techniques for a number of Canadian institutions including the Department of National Defence, the Canadian Space Agency, and Natural Resources Canada. The system has evolved from a dual-channel C-band conventional Synthetic Aperture Radar originally developed in 1986 by MacDonald Detwiller and Associates of Richmond, BC, Canada. Since 1996, it has remained largely stable as a fully polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar allowing an assessment of its stability and calibration characteristics. In this paper, we review the system architecture and performance providing examples of output products, showing the progression of data processing steps, and data transformations that are involved.