Alaska Satellite Facility

ASF Services – Data Discovery

Discover data with ASF Vertex, asf_search, and SearchAPI

The ASF DAAC offers three ways for you to search and download data: through the ASF Vertex application, through asf_search Python module and ASF’s SearchAPI. Please note you will need to create a free Earthdata Login account, which credentials will provide you access to the Vertex Search, asf_search and SearchAPI download functionality. This which will allow you to download data as a single download or a batch download. 

Have questions or need directions on how to get started?  See the links to the tutorial and other information below, including helpful videos and Getting Started information for both ASF Vertex and ASF_Search. 

Vertex
Screenshot of a Vertex search window

ASF Vertex Data Search

A powerful, yet easy-to-use graphical interface for creating searches and downloading remote-sensing data from the ASF archive.

This video gives a helpful overview of downloading data in Vertex.

Resources for using ASF Vertex

Defining Data Searches

  1. Getting an EOSDIS ID and Logging In – (2:06)
  2. Map Controls In-Depth – (3:34)
  3. Using Advanced Filters – (3:51)
  4. Saved Searches and Search History – (4:21)

Using Search Results

  1. Downloading Data (updated) – (7:41)
  2. Using Zipped Product Files – (1:18)
  3. Using The “More Like This” Feature – (2:15)
  4. Performing Baseline Searches – (3:54)
  5. Performing SBAS Searches – (5:45)

Advanced Features

    1. On Demand Processing (HyP3) – (4:43)
asf_search Python module
Screenshot asf_search Python module

asf_search Python Module

The asf_search  is a python module available through PyPI and Conda. Greatly simplifying search and download processes, this module allows users to find and download SAR data in just a few lines of Python. This module is targeted at Python users writing new tools, as well as users previously working with ASF’s Search API. Numerous search types are supported, including all those previously offered by ASF’s Search API, as well as search workflows previously only available through Vertex, such as Baseline/InSAR searches. Downloading data has also never been easier, as asf_search provides simple, built-in support for multiple authentication methods and parallel downloads. ASF is actively developing asf_search, continuously improving the functionality and adding new features. Let us know how we can improve asf_search to meet your needs!

  1. Github: https://github.com/asfadmin/Discovery-asf_search
  2. PyPI: https://pypi.org/project/asf-search/
  3. Conda-forge: https://anaconda.org/conda-forge/asf_search
  4. Basics – ASF SAR Data Search Manual (alaska.edu)

Resources for using asf_search

SAR Data in Python - Get to Know the ASF Search Module

In this webinar you will learn how to use asf_search, the Python library for the search and discovery of SAR data. We will be looking at common data discovery workflows used within ASF DAAC’s Vertex search and discovery web application, and how those same workflows can be accomplished through Python using asf_search.

SearchAPI

ASF SearchAPI

Get started with the ASF SearchAPI

Building a SearchAPI query consists of 3 basic steps and starts by using the Search API base URL: https://api.daac.asf.alaska.edu and continues to pick an endpoint. All available endpoints are listed in the Keywords documentation, and the Search endpoint uses this base URL: https://api.daac.asf.alaska.edu/services/search/param. For help in making the search efficient, you can read this article on how to build your query using keywords. If you still have questions, feel free to contact us.