USER REQUIREMENTS FOR SAR DATA IN THE COASTAL AND MARINEENVIRONMENT

摘要

Several efforts have already been undertaken to analysernuser requirements for Earth observation (EO) data in thernmarine and coastal environment. However, little hasrnbeen done to identify the specific requirements forrnSynthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data. A fundamentalrncomponent of the current EU 5th Framework projectrnMarine SAR Analysis and Interpretation Systemrn(MARSAIS), deals specifically with user requirementsrnexplicit to SAR data and SAR application capabilities.rnThe project aims to identify and involve potential endrnusers of SAR data and to generate end user feedback,rnwhich in turn will be fed into the development of anrnoperational MARSAIS prototype focussing on sea state,rnwinds, slicks and surface currents near fronts andrninternal waves.rnThe collation of end user feedback was achieved using arnrange of interview techniques, end user workshops, andrna Context of Use (CoU) survey. The latter included arnquestionnaire survey in 2002 to assess SAR data needs,rncapability and capacity constraints, benefits of SAR datarnuse and perceived obstacles to SAR data use.rnAnalysis of the 96 CoU survey questionnaires returnedrnshows potential for greater exploitation of SAR data andrnSAR derived products within the coastal and marinernenvironment. End users showed a preference forrnprocessed products and more frequent temporalrncoverage. Cost emerged as a primary obstacle to the usernof SAR data within the coastal and marine community.