RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM)

Dear Colleagues,

On June 12, 2019, Canada launched the next generation of C-band SAR satellites, the RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM), with the capability to collect data in various polarization configurations, including compact polarimetry (CP) mode. The main purpose of the mission is to ensure data continuity for RADARSAT users and improve the operational capability of SAR data by leveraging a more advanced spaceborne mission. In particular, RCM comprises three identical small C-band satellites gaining a greater coverage over a much shorter revisit time (subweekly) compared to its predecessors, RADARSAT-1 and -2. This state-of-the-art satellite mission provides daily coverage of Canada’s vast landmass, oceans, and coasts, while covering the high Arctic up to four times a day. It also has daily access to most of the world’s surface (i.e., over 90%).

Thanks to its multipolarization capability, large swath coverage, and high temporal resolution, RCM opens unprecedented opportunities for several remote sensing applications. For example, RCM will provide ideal SAR data for several ocean applications, such as sea ice monitoring, ship detection, and oil spill response. Furthermore, its enhanced temporal resolution makes RCM an ideal source of collecting SAR data for applications demanding frequent SAR observations, such as agriculture, coherent change detection, and wetland water level monitoring using interferometric SAR (InSAR). It is expected data collected from this new generation of SAR satellites will be available for both scientific and user communities shortly.

This Special Issue on “RADARSAT Constellation Mission” focuses on different applications and algorithm developments of data collected by RCM. We would like to invite articles on remote sensing applications using this state-of-the-art SAR data and in combination with other data and techniques. Submissions are encouraged to cover a broad range of topics, which may include, without being limited to, the following subjects:

• Ocean applications (e.g., sea ice monitoring, wind retrieval, iceberg and ship detection);
• Urban mapping;
• Climate change monitoring;
• Deformation measurements;
• Wetland mapping and monitoring;
• Biomass estimation;
• Glacier- and permafrost-related hazards;
• Surface soil moisture;
• Coastal changes;
• Agricultural applications;
• Large-scale mapping;
• Oil spill detection;
• Land cover classification;
• Ecosystem monitoring;
• Disaster management (mitigation, warning, response, and recovery);
• Data calibration.

The submission of overview papers on simulated or real RCM data should be coordinated with the editors to avoid overlapping and conflicts.

Dr. Masoud Mahdianpari
Dr. Fariba Mohammadimanesh
Dr. Brian Brisco
Dr. Bahram Salehi
Dr. Saeid Homayouni
Guest Editors

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