It was found that combining data from ALOS-2 and Sentinel-1 improved detection rates by up to 38 percent, while detection timeliness increased by about 16 days.
Forest monitoring study reveals future Copernicus synergies - Sentinel Success Stories
Forest monitoring study reveals future Copernicus synergies
A new forest monitoring study has demonstrated the value of combining C-band Copernicus Sentinel-1 data with L-band radar data, providing a glimpse of potential future synergy between Sentinel-1 and the upcoming ROSE-L Copernicus Expansion Mission.
The study focused on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. It explored the possibility of generating more accurate and timely satellite-based estimates of forest disturbances from activities like logging or agricultural expansion.
The research team drew on L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data from Japan’s ALOS-2 satellite and C-band SAR data from Copernicus Sentinel-1. The aim was to capitalise on the distinct attributes of L-band and C-band observations.
Shorter wavelength C-band SAR is suited for detecting disturbances of leaves and smaller tree branches in the outer canopy, while longer wavelength L-band SAR penetrates deeper into the forest canopy to detect disturbances of larger branches.
To explore the value of combining these attributes, ALOS-2 and Sentinel-1 data were analysed separately and then in combination. The resulting forest disturbance estimates were compared with other data sources to assess their accuracy.
It was found that combining data from ALOS-2 and Sentinel-1 improved detection rates by up to 38 percent, while detection timeliness increased by about 16 days.
Shorter wavelength C-band SAR is suited for detecting disturbances of leaves and smaller tree branches in the outer canopy, while longer wavelength L-band SAR penetrates deeper into the forest canopy to detect disturbances of larger branches.
To explore the value of combining these attributes, ALOS-2 and Sentinel-1 data were analysed separately and then in combination. The resulting forest disturbance estimates were compared with other data sources to assess their accuracy.
It was found that combining data from ALOS-2 and Sentinel-1 improved detection rates by up to 38 percent, while detection timeliness increased by about 16 days.
To explore the value of combining these attributes, ALOS-2 and Sentinel-1 data were analysed separately and then in combination. The resulting forest disturbance estimates were compared with other data sources to assess their accuracy.
ALOS-2 was more effective in identifying large-scale forest disturbances characterised by post-disturbance tree remnants. In contrast, Sentinel-1 was able to detect smaller forest disturbances, filling gaps in detections based on ALOS-2 data.
In the future, combined analysis of Sentinel-1 and ROSE-L data could have important implications for forest monitoring. ROSE-L will also support other key applications, including agriculture, food security, maritime surveillance and Arctic research.
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