• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.237-240
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• 2005

Calibration and Validation are major element of any space borne Earth Observation Mission. These activities are the major objective of the commissioning phases but routine activities shall be maintained during the whole mission in order to maintain the quality of the product delivered to the users or at least to fully characterise the evolution with time of the product quality. With the launch of ERS-l in 1991, the European Space Agency decided to put in place a group dedicated to these activities, along with the daily monitoring of the product quality for anomaly detection and algorithm evolution. These four elements are all strongly linked together. Today this group is fully responsible for the monitoring of two ESA missions, ERS-2 and Envisat, for a total of 12 instruments of various types, preparing itself for the Earth Explorer series of five. other satellites (Cryosat, Goce, SMOS, ADM-Aeolus, Swarm) and at various levels in past and future Third Party Missions such as Landsat, J-ERS, ALOS and KOMPSAT. The Joint proposal by the European Union and the European Space Agency for a 'Global Monitoring for Environment and Security' project (GMES), triggers a review of the scope of these activities in a much wider framework than the handling of single missions with specific tools, methods and activities. Because of the global objective of this proposal, it is necessary to put in place Multi-Mission Calibration and Validation systems and procedures. GMES Calibration and Validation activities will rely on multi source data access, interoperability, long-term data preservation, and definition standards to facilitate the above objectives. The scope of this presentation is to give an overview of the current Calibration and Validation activities at ESA, and the planned evolution in the context of GMES.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.631-644
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• 2013

Significant Wave Height (SWH) data measured by satellite altimeters (Topex/Poseidon, Jason-1, Envisat, and Jason-2) were validated in the seas around Korea by comparison with wave height measurements from marine meteorological buoy stations of Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). A total of 1,070 collocation matchups between Ku-band satellite altimeter data and buoy data were obtained for the periods of the four satellites from 1992 to the present. In the case of C-band and S-band observations, 1,086 matchups were obtained and used to assess the accuracy of satellite SWH. Root-Mean-Square (RMS) errors of satellite SWH measured with Ku-band were evaluated to roughly 0.2_2.1 m. Comparisons of the RMS errors and bias errors between different frequency bands revealed that SWH observed with Ku-band was much more accurate than other frequencies, such as C-band or S-band. The differences between satellite SWH and buoy wave height, satellite minus buoy, revealed some dependence on the magnitude of the wave height. Satellite SWH tended to be overestimated at a range of low wave height of less than 1 m, and underestimated for high wave height of greater than 2 m. Such regional characteristics imply that satellite SWH should be carefully used when employed for diverse purposes such as validating wave model results or data assimilation procedures. Thus, this study confirmed that satellite SWH products should be continuously validated for regional applications.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.645-655
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• 2013

As one of segmentation techniques for Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) image with oil spill, we applied a bimodal histogram method to discriminate oil pixels from non-oil pixels. The threshold of each moving window was objectively determined using the two peaks in the histogram distribution of backscattering coefficients from ENVISAT ASAR image. To reduce the effect of wind speed on oil spill detection, we selected ASAR image which satisfied a limit of wind speeds for successful detection. Overall, a commonly used adaptive threshold method has been applied with a subjectively-determined single threshold. In contrast, the bimodal histogram method utilized herein produces a variety of thresholds objectively for each moving window by considering the characteristics of statistical distribution of backscattering coefficients. Comparison between the two methods revealed that the bimodal histogram method exhibited no significant difference in terms of performance when compared to the adaptive threshold method, except for around the edges of dark oil spots. Thus, we anticipate that the objective method based on the bimodality of oil slicks may also be applicable to the detection of oil spills from other SAR imagery.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• v.2
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• pp.981-984
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• 2006

Oil pollution of the ocean is a major environmental problem, especially in its coastal zones. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) flown on satellites, such as ERS-2 and Envisat, has been proved to be a useful tool in oil spill monitoring due to its wide coverage, day and night, and all-weather capability. The total 120 SAR images containing oil spill over the East China Sea were collected and analyzed, ranging in date from July 23, 2002 to November 11, 2005. After preprocessed, SAR images were segmented by adaptive threshold method. The oil spill images were incorporated into GIS after distinguished from look-like phenomena, finally we presented the oil spills distribution map for the East China Sea. The wide-swath and quick-looks SAR imagery for mapping of oil spill distribution over large marine areas were proved to be useful when full resolution data are not available. After the temporal and spatial distribution of the oil spills were analyzed, we found that most of oil spills were distributed along the main ship routes, which means the illegal discharge by ships, and the occurrence of oil spill detected on SAR images acquired during morning and summer is much higher than during evening and winter.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.101-115
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• 2018

The Long Valley area and its surroundings are part of a major volcano system where inflation occurred in the resurgent dome in the 1990s. We used ENVISAT data to monitor surface deformation of the Long Valley area and its surroundings after the inflation, from 2003-2010. To retrieve the time series of the deformation, we applied the refined Small BAseline Subset (SBAS) algorithm which is improved using an iterative approach to minimize unwrapping error. Moreover, ascending and descending data were used to decompose the horizontal and vertical deformation in detail. To confirm refined SBAS results, we used GPS dataset. The InSAR errors are estimated as ${\pm}1.0mm/yr$ and ${\pm}0.8mm/yr$ from ascending and descending tracks, respectively. Compare to the previous study of 1990s over the Long Valley and its surroundings, Paoha Island and CASA geothermal area still subside. The deformation pattern in the Long Valley area during the study period (2003-2010) went through both subsidence (2003-2007) and slow uplift(2007-2010) episodes. Our research also shows no deformation signal near McGee Creek. Our study provided a better understanding of the surface changes of the indicators in the 1990s and 2000s.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.1433-1435
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• 2003

Very decisive progress was made in advancing fundamental POL-IN-SAR theory and algorithm development during the past decade. This was accomplished with the aid of airborne & shuttle platforms supporting single -to-multi-band multi-modal POL-SAR and also some POL-IN-SAR sensor systems, which will be compared and assessed with the aim of establishing the hitherto not completed but required missions such as tomographic and holographic imaging. Because the operation of airborne test-beds is extremely expensive, aircraft platforms are not suited for routine monitoring missions which is better accomplished with the use drones or UAVs. Such unmanned aerial vehicles were developed for defense applications, however lacking the sophistic ation of implementing advanced forefront POL-IN-SAR technology. This shortcoming will be thoroughly scrutinized resulting in the finding that we do now need to develop most rapidly POL-IN-SAR drone-platform technology especially for environmental stress-change monitoring with a great variance of applications beginning with flood, bush/forest-fire to tectonic-stress (earth-quake to volcanic eruptions) for real-short-time hazard mitigation. However, for routine global monitoring purposes of the terrestrial covers neither airborne sensor implementation - aircraft and/or drones - are sufficient; and there -fore multi-modal and multi-band space-borne POL-IN-SAR space-shuttle and satellite sensor technology needs to be further advanced at a much more rapid phase. The existing ENVISAT with the forthcoming ALOSPALSAR, RADARSAT-2, and the TERRASAT will be compared, demonstrating that at this phase of development the fully polarimetric and polarimetric-interferometric modes of operation must be viewed and treated as preliminary algorithm verification support modes and at this phase of development are still not to be viewed as routine modes.

• Proceedings of the International Union of Geodesy And Geophysics Korea Journal of Geophysical Research Conference
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• 2003.05a
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• pp.14-14
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• 2003

SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) is an imaging radar which can scan and image Earth System targets without solar illumination. Most Earth observation Shh systems operate in X-, C-, S-, L-, and P-band frequencies, where the shortest wavelength is approximately 1.5 cm. This means that most opaque objects in the SAR signal path become transparent and SAR systems can image the planetary surface targets without sunlight and through rain, snow and/or even volcanic ash clouds. Most conventional SAR systems in operation, including the Canada's RADARSAT-1, operate in one frequency and in one polarization. This has resulted in black and with images, with which we are familiar now. However, with the launching of ENVTSAT on March 1 2002, the ASAR system onboard the ENVISAT can image Earth's surface targets with selected polarimetric signals, HH+VV, HH+VH, and VV+HV. In 2004, Canadian Space Agency will launch RADARSAT-II, which is C-band, fully polarimetric HH+VV+VH+HV. Almost same time, the NASDA of Japan will launch ALOS (Advanced land Observation Satellite) which will carry L-band PALSAR system, which is again fully polarimetric. This means that we will have at least three fully polarimetric space-borne SAR system fur civilian operation in less than one year. Are we then ready for this new all weather Earth Observation technology\ulcorner Actual imaging process of a fully polarimetric SAR system is not easy to explain. But, most Earth system scientists, including geologists, are familiar with polarization microscopes and other polarization effects in nature. The spatial resolution of the new generation of SAR systems have also been steadily increased, almost to the limit of highest optical resolution. In this talk some new applications how they are used for Earth system observation purpose.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.139-153
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• 2018

The sea surface wind field has long been obtained from satellite scatterometers or passive microwave radiometers. However, the importance of satellite altimeter-derived wind speed has seldom been addressed because of the outstanding capability of the scatterometers. Satellite altimeter requires the accurate wind speed data, measured simultaneously with sea surface height observations, to enhance the accuracy of sea surface height through the correction of sea state bias. This study validates the wind speeds from the satellite altimeters (GFO, Jason-1, Envisat, Jason-2, Cryosat-2, SARAL) and analyzes characteristics of errors. In total, 1504 matchup points were produced using the wind speed data of Ieodo Ocean Research Station (IORS) and of Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) buoys at Marado and Oeyeondo stations for 10 years from December 2007 to May 2016. The altimeter wind speed showed a root mean square error (RMSE) of about $1.59m\;s^{-1}$ and a negative bias of $-0.35m\;s^{-1}$ with respect to the in-situ wind speed. Altimeter wind speeds showed characteristic biases that they were higher (lower) than in-situ wind speeds at low (high) wind speed ranges. Some tendency was found that the difference between the maximum and minimum value gradually increased with distance from the buoy stations. For the improvement of the accuracy of altimeter wind speed, an equation for correction was derived based on the characteristics of errors. In addition, the significance of altimeter wind speed on the estimation of sea surface height was addressed by presenting the effect of the corrected wind speeds on the sea state bias values of Jason-1.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.1-19
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• 2018

In order to compare significant wave height (SWH) data from multi-satellites (GFO, Jason-1, Envisat, Jason-2, Cryosat-2, SARAL) and SWH measurements from Ieodo Ocean Research Station (IORS), we constructed a 12 year matchup database between satellite and IORS measurements from December 2004 to May 2016. The satellite SWH showed a root mean square error (RMSE) of about 0.34 m and a positive bias of 0.17 m with respect to the IORS wave height. The satellite data and IORS wave height data did not show any specific seasonal variations or interannual variability, which confirmed the consistency of satellite data. The effect of the wind field on the difference of the SWH data between satellite and IORS was investigated. As a result, a similar result was observed in which a positive biases of about 0.17 m occurred on all satellites. In order to understand the effects of topography and the influence of the construction structures of IORS on the SWH differences, we investigated the directional dependency of differences of wave height, however, no statistically significant characteristics of the differences were revealed. As a result of analyzing the characteristics of the error as a function of the distance between the satellite and the IORS, the biases are almost constant about 0.14 m regardless of the distance. By contrast, the amplitude of the SWH differences, the maximum value minus the minimum value at a given distance range, was found to increase linearly as the distance was increased. On the other hand, as a result of the accuracy evaluation of the satellite SWH from the Donghae marine meteorological buoy of Korea Meteorological Administration, the satellite SWH presented a relatively small RMSE of about 0.27 m and no specific characteristics of bias such as the validation results at IORS. In this paper, we propose a conversion formula to correct the significant wave data of IORS with the satellite SWH data. In addition, this study emphasizes that the reliability of data should be prioritized to be extensively utilized and presents specific methods and strategies in order to upgrade the IORS as an international world-wide marine observation site.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.283-288
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• 2009

Estimations of oil slick area after M/T Herbei Sprit accident in December 2007 were analyzed using ENVITSAT ASAR(Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar) microwave and KOMPSAT-2 of high resolution data. Monthly end short-term variations of chlorophyll a concentration before end after M/T Herbei Sprit oil spill accident were also analyzed using SeaWiFS/MODIS ocean color data. The oil slick areas estimated by KOMPSAT-2 and ASAR satellites were 59,456 $m^2$ and 1,168 $km^2$, respectively. The winds before end after oil spill accident were prevailed the northerly and northwesterly winds, and the strength of wind in this accident was stronger than 10 m/sec. In Taean and Anmeon-do, monthly mean chlorophyll a concentrations(6.3 mg/$m^3$ and 3.7 mg/$m^3$) in January 2008 alter the oil spill were higher than those(2.9 mg/$m^3$ and 2.5 mg/$m^3$) in December 2007. Short-term variations of chlorophyll a in these areas were decreased alter one or two weeks of oil spill.