Abstract:

Over 700 SAR image scenes were collected during the Deepwater Horizon Incident (DWH) in order to identify spilled oil on the ocean surface. SAR imagery was collected by nine SAR satellites: Cosmo-Skymed-1, -2, and -3; TerraSAR-X; RadarSat-1 and -2, EnviSat ASAR, ALOS Palsar, and ERS-2. Some of the image scenes were un-usable due to poor image quality, or did not contain oil. This dataset provides metadata and ESRI shapefiles outlining the footprint of the 527 SAR images which contain identifiable oil. The original native metadata of nine SAR satellites exist in seven unique formats, making metadata access challenging. In this dataset, the native metadata of the 527 images has been saved in a single Extensible Markup Language (XML) file in one common format called CSTARS XML that is easily readable for both human and machine. Each SAR image in the collection has a corresponding node in the XML file, and a shapefile in the shapefile array f ile, which are cross-referenced.

Suggested Citation:

Hargrove, John and Hans Graber. 2015. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Satellite Image Metadata from the Deepwater Horizon Event. Distributed by: GRIIDC, Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/N76971JM

Purpose:

The majority of SAR satellite images collected during DWH are distribution limited because of copyright or other restrictions. This dataset will help a potential SAR user identify relevant SAR satellite images at the particular times and locations for the user's application. With the contact information provided, the user can then pursue acquisition of the imagery, derivative products, and usage rights.

Data Parameters and Units:

The dataset is a collection of SAR metadata in XML and image footprints in ESRI shapefiles. Each record in the shapefile provides latitude and longitude of a polygon defining each footprint. There are ~100 different metadata fields in the XML file. Units, where relevant, are defined in the attributes of each field.

Individual Files: