SAR Remote Sensing Technology Development and Application in China

Remote sensing technology is one of the most powerful tools for human to know the nature and their living environment. However, before microwave remote sensing was developed and applied, remote sensing application was limited strongly by weather and time. Microwave remote sensing technology solves the problem. It makes us to have the capability to acquire information at all time of the day and under all weather condition, and make remote sensing technology be used in more wider area. Microwave remote sensing system include mainly Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), Microwave Radiometer, Microwave Scatterometer, and Altimeter (ALT). As SAR can acquire image whose spatial resolution is similar with visible and infrared image, it is paying much attention to and playing a more and more important role in earth observation. In recent year, the development of new SAR technology (multi-band and multi-polarization technology, InSAR technology, D-InSAR technology, and so on) makes SAR remote sensing go to an new stage, and its application area become more and more widely. The first Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) in the world appeared in 1960. After that, SAR and its application all developed very fast. Some radar satellites launched and run (include Seasat-A in 1978, ERS-1 in 1991, JERS-1 in 1992, Radarsat in 1995, and so on) promote SAR research and application in world greatly. China began to develop its SAR sensor and research SAR application in 1970s. After more than 30 years' research, it get some important development in sensor development data processing method, and application. Some operational systems have been used and play an important role. This paper will introduce the development of SAR technology and its application in China.