EXTERNAL RADIOMETRIC CALIBRATION ACTIVITY ON ITALIAN TEST-SITE FOR THE ENVISAT MISSION

Abstract

This paper deals with the programmed external calibration activity for ENVISAT ASAR, to be carried out within the experiment A.O. ID 662. The selected site, already utilised for other SAR missions, is located in Southern Italy, where calibration targets both active and passive will be deployed. A C-band scatterometer will also be used. The purpose is to gain additional information on the ASAR data radiometric characteristics. After a site description, the calibration instrumentation and its expected performances are presented, illustrating the envisaged radiometric calibration approach. Finally, a brief illustration of ground truth measurements is given