BOREAS ERS-1 Image Information Summary: The Remote Sensing Science team #17 (RSS-17) of the BOReal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study (BOREAS) acquired and analyzed imaging radar data from the European Space Agency (ESA) Earth resources Satellite (ERS-1). The data cover a complete annual cycle at the BOREAS sites in Canada in 1994 and were obtained to detect shifts in radar backscatter related to varying environmental conditions. Two independent transitions corresponding to soil thaw and possible canopy thaw were revealed by the data. The results demonstrated that radar provides an ability to observe thaw transitions at the beginning of the growing season, which in turn helps constrain the length of the growing season. Images and information about the research results are contained in the document ‘BOREAS RSS-17 1994 ERS-1 Level-3 Freeze/Thaw Backscatter Change Images.’ This document describes the complete set of ERS-1 images that were acquired for BOREAS from December 1993 to August 1995. Contact Information: Jeffrey A. Newcomer Raytheon ITSS NASA GSFC Greenbelt, MD (301) 286-7858 (301) 286-0239 (fax) Jeffrey.Newcomer@gsfc.nasa.gov Jaime Nickeson Raytheon ITSS NASA GSFC Greenbelt, MD (301) 286-3373 (301) 286-0239 (fax) Jaime.Nickeson@gsfc.nasa.gov JoBea Way Jet Propulsion Laboratory Mail Stop 300-233 Pasadena, CA (818) 354-8825 way@lor.jpl.nasa.gov ERS-1 Image Data ESA has a policy that ERS-1 data may be distributed only to ESA-approved investigators; hence, the referenced ERS-1 images may not be utilized without first requesting an authorization from ESA. To obtain ERS image data, interested users need to contact ESA and in particular the ESA/ESRIN Facility at Frascatti. U.S. investigators interested in data available at the Alaska SAR Facility (ASF) should contact Greta Reynolds at the ASF at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. The investigator will have to submit a short research project summary explaining the need for the data and how they will be utilized (see Alaska SAR Facility Mini-Proposal Guidelines section below). If appropriate, ASF will subsequently provide ERS data free of charge. Data File Descriptions: BOREAS Information System (BORIS) staff worked with the RSS-17 team to compile information about the ERS-1 images collected and as defined in the data definition file (rss17ers.def). The data files contain numerical and character fields of varying length separated by commas. The character fields are enclosed with a single apostrophe marks. There are no spaces between the fields. Sample data records are shown in the companion data definition file (rss17ers.def). Alaska SAR Facility Mini-Proposal Guidelines In order to obtain access to the ERS-1 data, users must provide a one or two- page description of the project for which you plan to utilize Alaska SAR Facility (ASF) data. The outline that follows will provide the information required to approve your project. This information should be forwarded to ASF for planning purposes. Projects approved under these guidelines will allow the Principal Investigator to obtain data from the ASF for the marginal cost of filing the specific user request. Projects conducted with NASA support may be eligible for data credits to cover the cost of data products. Other projects are expected to supply ASF with a purchase order or other method of payment to cover data costs. No funding is available through this mechanism to support data analysis. 1) Principal Investigator: Please include your name, affiliation, full mailing address, telephone number, fax number and e-mail addresses 2) Title of Project: The name of the project you are proposing. 3) Co-Investigators: Please list any co-principal investigators following guidelines in (1) above. 4) Support: identify your source of support. 5) Objective and approach of research: Briefly describe the overall objectives and approach for the project. 6) Information to be derived: Describe the product(s) and/or information you anticipate deriving from ASF data. 7) Other data sets of Importance: Please identify any other data sets that you plan to use in conjunction with this investigation. 8) Regions, Seasons and aspects of interest: Generally describe the geographic areas, season(s) and/or unique aspects of the project. 9) Data Requirements: The following information is needed for the ASF Mission Planner to evaluate the data requirements of your project. A)Location of study area: Please indicate the regions of the ASF mask this project covers. 1) Size of study area 2) Shape of study area B) Number of Observations: How much and how frequently do you require SAR data (e.g. every three days for one month)? C) Time Frame required: Over what time period should data for this project span (e.g. spring season of 1992)? D) ASF data required: Please list the number and types of the ASF standard products you require. 1) Type(s) of products 2) Type(s) of media E) Using the ASF Price List, please indicate the total cost of the data this project will require. 10) Planned fieldwork dates and locations: If you plan to collect field data in conjunction with ASF data acquisition, please indicate dates and locations. 11) Deliverables: As a condition of project approval, the Principal Investigator is expected to provide ASF with three (3) copies of all publications which result from the use of ASF data. In addition, a brief report (one to two pages) of the results of this project is to be submitted to ASF within 30 days of the completion of the project. 12) Background and history of study. 13) Relevant Publications. Please submit this information to: Greta Reynolds, ASF Mission Planner Alaska SAR Facility Geophysical Institute University of Alaska at Fairbanks Fairbanks, Alaska (907) 474-7869 greynolds@santa.asf.alaska.edu Data Access: Contact for Data Center/Data Access Information: These BOREAS data are available from the Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOS-DIS) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC). The BOREAS contact at ORNL is: ORNL DAAC User Services Oak Ridge National Laboratory (865) 241-3952 ornldaac@ornl.gov ornl@eos.nasa.gov Procedures for Obtaining Data: BOREAS data may be obtained through the ORNL DAAC World Wide Web site at http://www-eosdis.ornl.gov/ or users may place requests for data by telephone, electronic mail, or fax. Output Products and Availability: Requested data can be provided electronically on the ORNL DAAC's anonymous FTP site or on various media including, CD-ROMs, 8-MM tapes, or diskettes. The complete set of BOREAS data CD-ROMs, entitled "Collected Data of the Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study", edited by Newcomer, J., et al., NASA, 1999, are also available. Document Information Written: 09-August-1999 Revised: 13-August-1999 BORIS Review: 09-August-1999 RSS17_ERS1_Image_Info.doc 08/21/99