This release solves a number of issues with EarthView® products, introduces an optional Coherent Target Monitoring (CTM) module for EarthView InSAR, and a new product for DEM editing and mosaicking (EarthView DEMED). Some key advantages of this release are:

EARTHVIEW SAR-APP

    An advanced SAR Processor which offers a full choice of SAR processing algorithms and parameters and is capable of utilizing multiple CPU's for increased throughput. Its comprehensive GUI can be configured for either a novice or an advanced user.

    1. Batch mode processing;
    2. Data ingest from CD-ROM or Exabyte tape (ERS-1, ERS-2, JERS-1 and RADARSAT sensors);
    3. Image display capability provided by OpenEV;
    4. Strip Processing of multiple frames of raw sensor data;
    5. User-friendly graphical user interface (GUI) with context sensitive help;
    6. Robust handling of common raw data problems (formatting issues, missing lines, etc.);
    7. Ground radar interference removal and correction of AGC1 induced saturation;
    8. User selectable intermediate and final output products;
    9. Precision output imagery2 permits follow-on interferometric and polarimetric analysis;
    10. Calibrated output for both RADARSAT and ERS;
    11. Built-in database manages time referenced, sensor-specific parameters (e.g. antenna patterns);
    12. Flexible system resource allocation;

Add-ons:

    Dual-CPU support for Symmetric Multi-Processing (SMP) environments;
    Resolution enhancement module to improve spatial resolution over small image patches. Good for identification of targets;
    Ocean currents module to estimate surface radial speed;
    ScanSAR (multi-beam) support for burst mode RADARSAT data;
    ENVISAT (single and multi-beam) support;

EV-InSAR

    The EarthView-InSAR software available from Atlantis Scientific can help to quickly and accurately provide important information related to subtle earth movement across wide areas. Surface change can be measured with a sensitivity of millimeters or centimeters per month.

New Scheme

    EarthView-InSAR enables the following categories of measurement:
    - Digital Elevation Models (accuracy: 10 m Radarsat fine beam, 20 meters ERS);
    - Vertical height change (subsidence and absidence);
    - Horizontal height change;
    - Seismic deformation due to earthquakes;
    - Volcano monitoring;
    - Land dynamics such as landslides and erosion;
    - Glacier motion and ice sheet mapping;
    - Land use classification using coherence;

Features:

    Supports tandem and repeat pass space-borne DEM generation; DEM generation using an interferometry. External DEM; and 2-, 3- and 4- pass differential;
    Data ingest from CD-ROM or Exabyte tape (ERS-1, ERS-2, JERS-1 and RADARSAT sensors). Single data scenes or data strips can be processed;
    Supports CDPF, ESA-ESRIN, and Atlantis/CCRS SAR processors Single Look Complex (SLC) data formats;
    User-friendly graphical user interface (GUI) provides step-by-step operation with context sensitive help;
    User-selectable intermediate and final output products;
    Image display capability provided by OpenEV;
    Automatic ingest of Delft University DEOS precision ERS-1 and ERS-2 orbits of 10cm accuracy or better. The precision orbit data can be downloaded at no cost from the WWW. Accurate baseline estimation is facilitated by refined orbital information;
    Phase unwrapping uses an Atlantis patented Iterative Disk Masking (IDM) algorithm with con- trolled error propagation and error correction. Uses multiple tiling and seeding techniques. Automatic masking of low coherence areas, automatic connection of residues. An unwrapping control mask image is generated for use by the interactive unwrapping tool;
    Optional baseline decorrelation and azimuth spectral overlap filtering;
    Automatic co-registration bias correction. This is necessary for automatic detection and correction of large errors between predicted and true co-registration of the two SAR images in an InSAR pair. Large errors in azimuth can defeat automatic co-registration. This facility completes a large-area search to detect and correct any bias that may be present (up to a maximum of 2048 pixels);
    Automatic co-registration is accomplished via tie-point prediction based on geometric modeling, and is refined using correlation techniques.
    Interferogram enhancement filtering with optional use of phase slope information (phase slope data is very important for correct enhancement on steep terrain). Data re-sampling is applied to reduce the amount of data to be phase unwrapped and give square dimensioned pixels in ground range.
    The capability to harness multiple CPU’s to enhance throughput;
    Operates on Windows NT/2000, SUN Solaris and SGI IRIX workstations;

Add-on

    ENVISAT (single-beam) support.

EARTHVIEW-HYPAC

    Hyperspectral image processing is an advanced technique that partitions reflected energy from the earth surface over several hundred channels to isolate unique reflecting materials.

    EarthView-HyPac software is designed to provide the end-user with an affordable and effective tool capable of handling large data volume, timely throughput, multi-channel visualization, and product output; from data ingest to mineral map.

User Interface

    Advanced display capabilities using OpenEV;
    User-friendly creation and management of projects;
    User definable spatial and spectral regions;
    Automatic report generation and export;

Spatial and Spectral Analysis Tools

    Average, histograms and standard deviations by columns/rows;
    Extraction and display of all sensor ancillary data;
    Display average spectrum of user-defined area;
    Compute radiance and/or reflectance spectra;

Data Ingest Options

    Support for multiple data cubes;
    Configurable sensor definition file;
    Sensor position automatically extracted from navigation data;
    Automatic georeferencing based on ancillary data for data visualization;

Endmember (EM) Analysis

    Automatic extraction and spectral display of EMs;
    Create mineral maps;
    Merge, color code and label EMs;
    EM display can be based upon intensity or user-defined priority list;
    Display can be based upon intensity or priority;
    Save mineral maps and merged EMs;
    Export EM spectra and abundance/mineral maps;

Atmospheric Analysis

    Atmospheric parameters extracted from positional data;
    Multi-dimensional lookup table;
    Water vapor corrections based on user-defined or automatic determination of water vapor estimates;

EARTHVIEW-STEREO

    EV-Stereo is a highly automated software package that is designed to produce digital elevation models from orbital SAR stereo pairs. EV-Stereo uses the latest correlating algorithms and can process a full resolution DEM in less than an hour, even on a PC! * Stereo SAR DEM's can be used to facilitate:

    1. Geometric and radiometric correction of SAR imagery (orthorectification);
    2. Elevation mapping in regions of low coherence where EV-InSAR encounters problems;
    3. Mapping changes in elevation (land deformation);

Features:

    An overlapping pair of SAR images (e.g. RADARSAT) can be used as input for stereo processing. Stereo pairs should image the terrain from the same side with parallax separation between 3 to 20 degrees.
    User-friendly graphical user interface (GUI) provides step-by-step operation with context sensitive help.
    Image display capabilities provided by OpenEV (a library and reference application for viewing and analyzing vector and raster geospatial data).
    DEMs can be output to a GeoTIFF file format for use in other software packages.
    EV-Stereo is a standalone package that does not require any other modules or software packages as a prerequisite.
    Available soon-Envisat support!
    Processing tasks broadly include Data Ingest, Co-registration, Matching, Stereo intersection and gridding.

    - Data Ingest transforms the registered and unregistered (also know as master and slave) input files into a pair of 8-bit encoded files and extracts the meta-data required by EV-Stereo from leader files.
    - The two images are roughly co-registered prior to matching.
    - Matching produces a list of homologous points for the image pair.
    - Stereo Intersection combines the match points with ground control and SAR parameters to produce a list of map x, y and elevations.
    - Gridding produces a DEM through interpolation of the point list created by Stereo Intersection.
    - Operates on Windows NT/2000, Sun Solaris and SGI IRIX workstations.