Accessing Imagery from the Alaska Satellite Facility

The Alaska Satellite Facility (ASF) (https://asf.alaska.edu/#) is committed to making remote sensing data accessible. The facility is a part of the Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and is a NASA Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC). It advances remote sensing to support national and international Earth science research, field operations, and commercial applications.

We have reviewed hundreds of data portals over the past dozen years on this blog and in our book as well–some portals that are very user-friendly, others less so. The ASF’s data portal is among the easiest to use and the most useful of any that I have encountered over my entire career. Indeed, our earlier review is here and was also positive! Most of the data that the ASF provides is Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data. SAR refers to a technique for producing fine-resolution images from a resolution-limited radar system. It requires that the radar be moving in a straight line, either on an airplane or, as in the case of NISAR to be launching in 2024, orbiting in space. But Sentinel-1, AVNIR, RADARSAT, and many other image platforms and types are available on the site as well. SAR data is not affected by cloud cover, but there are many other advantages to SAR data, including global change monitoring in 3D, accurate elevation models, reliable monitoring, and high-resolution.

For example, see the interface below. You can search by imagery, geography, time period, and much more. In searching for Sentinel-1 imagery in this area of North America, I am given options on delivery mechanisms, file formats, to download or stream, and much more. But– not too much more where the options are overwhelming–it is just right. The user experience is really incredible and I salute the developers of this site. I had the opportunity to work with the developers and scientists from ASF at the most recent AGU science conference and have the utmost respect for them.

I highly recommend using this data portal for many of your data needs!

–Joseph Kerski