Envisat ASAR WS Single Look Complex L1 [ASA_WSS_1P] 2009-03

The Level-1B data product offered by ESA from the ASAR Wide-Swath Mode (WS) is the multi-look detected product (ASA_WSM_1P), intended to support applications that exploit intensity data. In order to support the development of new applications with the ASAR ScanSAR data, a WSM product providing phase information has been developed and implemented in the ESA ASAR processor, the Wide-Swath Single-Look complex product (ASA_WSS_1P). This product is mainly used for INSAR applications based either on wide-swath/wide-swath pairs or wide-swath/image mode pairs, applications of ocean current mapping, large-area ocean wave retrievals, and atmospheric water vapour characterisation. It shall be mentioned that the standard ESA WSS product is based on the prototype WSS processor developed by Polimi/Poliba, which has also been used to generate prototype products for testing the potential and preparing the exploitation of the WSS product. The ESA ASA_WSS_1P product is available as a standard Envisat ASAR product. The ASA_WSS_1P product format is slightly different from other ASAR products since: - there are 5 different MDSs, one per sub-swath - a "Doppler Grid" ADS has been included to support ocean current mapping applications - there are 5 records in the MPP ADS, one per sub-swath - there are 5 records in the SQ ADS, one per sub-swath Other key characteristics of the ASA_WSS_1P product are summarised below: - processing is fully phase preserving - data in the MDSs is sampled in a common grid both in range and in azimuth - standard product is 60 sec long with 80 m az. pixel spacing - auxiliary timeline information has been added in the Main Processing Parameters ADS - elevation antenna pattern correction is applied by default (although the product is a single-look complex) - Spatial Resolution: approximately 8 m slant range x 80 m azimuth