ALOS Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar
Mission
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).
ASF PALSAR Products
Note 1: L1.0 and L1.5 products may have originated from older JAXA processor versions.
Note 2: Users may request L1.1 data – if not already available through Vertex or the ASF API – by contacting our User Support Office, [email protected]. Please provide a list of the granule names you wish to have processed.
L1.1 processing is not possible for data acquired in ScanSAR beam mode (WB1 and WB2).
How to Obtain PALSAR Data
Researchers can download open-access ALOS PALSAR data from the NASA-sponsored ASF DAAC.
PALSAR Technical Specs — Beam Modes
PALSAR has two fine beam modes: single polarization (FBS) and dual polarization (FBD), as well as quad polarization, also known as polarimetric mode (PLR). ScanSAR wide beam (WB1, WB2) operates with a considerable loss of resolution. See table below.
| Fine Resolution | ScanSAR | Polarimetric | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beam Mode | FBS, DSN | FBD | WB1, WB2 | PLR |
| Center Frequency | L-Band (1.27 GHz) | |||
| Polarization | HH or VV | HH+HV or VV+VH | HH or VV | HH+HV+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) | 27.1° (default) | 21.5° (default) | |
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.
