10 Years of the POLSARPRO V5.0 Software. An ESA Educational Toolbox for POLSAR and POL-InSAR Data Processing
Pottier, Eric
IETR - UMR CNRS 6164, University of Rennes 1, FRANCE

1. ABSTRACT
The objective of this paper is to make a review of the current status of the PolSARpro v5.0 Software (Polarimetric SAR Data Processing and Educational Toolbox), developed under contract to ESA by I.E.T.R at the University of Rennes 1. The objective of this current project is to provide Educational Software that offers a tool for self-education in the field of Polarimetric SAR data analysis at University level and a comprehensive suite of functions for the scientific exploitation of fully and partially polarimetric multi-data sets and the development of applications for such data. The PolSARpro v5.0 Software establishes a foundation for the exploitation of Polarimetric techniques for scientific developments and stimulates research and applications developments using PolSAR and PolInSAR data.

2. INTRODUCTION
SAR remote sensing allows all weather, global scale imaging and estimation of important bio and geophysical parameters about the Earth's surface. It is achieved by sensing scattered electromagnetic fields reflected from the Earth surface when emitted by an electromagnetic energy source situated on an aircraft, spacecraft or satellite outside of the Earth's atmosphere. The development of multi-parameter SAR techniques such as Polarimetric SAR (POLSAR) and Polarimetric Interferometric SAR (POLinSAR) is advancing rapidly, and these novel radar technologies are constantly extending decisively the range of applications of radar in remote sensing. Due to the polarimetric radar sensors (ENVISAT ASAR, ALOS-PALSAR, TerraSAR-X and RADARSAT-2), it is now shown that the accelerated advancement of POLSAR techniques is of direct relevance and of priority to local-to-global environmental ground-truth measurement and validation, stress assessment, and stress-change monitoring of the terrestrial and planetary covers.

3. CONTEXT AND PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVES
Due to, both, the ESA’s desire to augment his collection of software packages, known as the Envisat Toolboxes, and the feedback from the Workshop on â€oeApplications of SAR Polarimetry and Polarimetric Interferometryâ€, held at ESA-ESRIN, Frascati, Italy, on 14-16 January 2003, it was proposed to expand the existing PolSARpro software to handle data from current and future spaceborne missions (in addition to those airborne missions already supported), thus providing a comprehensive suite of functions for the scientific exploitation of fully and partially polarimetric data and the development of applications for such data. The new version of the sotfware (PolSARpro v5.0) is continued to be developed under contract to ESA â€oePolSARpro Toolbox Maintenance and Extension†(ESAâ€''ESRIN Contract nA° 22799/09/Iâ€''LG). The objective of the current project is to provide an Educational Software that offers a tool for self-education in the field of Polarimetric SAR data analysis at University level and a comprehensive suite of functions for the scientific exploitation of fully and partially polarimetric multi-data sets and the development of applications for such data. The PolSARpro v5.0 Software establishes a foundation for the exploitation of Polarimetric techniques for scientific developments and stimulates research and applications developments using PolSAR and PolInSAR data.

4. POLSARPRO V5.0 MAIN FUNCTIONALITIES
The PolSARpro v5.0 Software offers the possibility to handle and convert polarimetric data from a range of well established polarimetric airborne platforms and spaceborne missions. The PolSARpro v5.0 proposes different specific interfaces, with identical functionalities, dedicated to different Polarimetric Spaceborne Sensors (ALOS-PALSAR, COSMO-SKYMED, ENVISAT-ASAR, RADARSAT2, RISAT, TerraSAR X, Tandem-X, SIRc) and Airborne Sensors (AIRSAR, TOPSAR, Convair, EMISAR, ESAR, FSAR, PISAR, RAMSES) data processing selectable from the main menu. The PolSARpro v5.0 Software proposes a great collection of well-established algorithms and tools designed for the analysis of only Single Data Set, Dual Data Sets (Interferometry) and Multi Time / Freq Data Sets Polarimetric SAR data with specialized functionalities for in-depth analysis of fully and partially polarimetric data and the development of applications for such data. The PolSARpro v5.0 specific interface performs complete end-to-end processing without the need for other software and is selectable from the main menu.

5. EDUCATIONAL SOFTWARE
Scientists and engineers already engaged in the fields of radar remote sensing generally gain their specialist knowledge in polarimetry by working through scientific papers and specialized literature available on the subject. The aim of this Tutorial is to provide a substantial and balanced introduction to the basic theory, scattering concepts, systems and advanced concepts and applications typical to Radar Polarimetry and Interferometry. This Tutorial on Radar Polarimetry is completed with a review of some important aspects of radar polarimetry and interferometry. This tutorial can be used as a low level teaching aid for polarimetric SAR processing and is illustrated with application examples showing the full range of functions that the Tool offers (Do it yourself sections). The PolSARpro v5.0 software is thus provided with a comprehensive in-depth documentation permitting self-education to a high level (radar experts and post graduate students). User has access to this wide-ranging tutorial, available in PDF format, providing grounding in SAR Polarimetry (PolSAR) and SAR Polarimetric Interferometry (POLinSAR) from the main menu. User have also access to different series of Tutorial Slide Shows, that are made available to support taught courses of for use as part of a self teaching programme. The objective of the ESA funded POLSAR-Ap project is to evaluate and demonstrate the importance of quad-polarimetric SAR data for a wide range of remote sensing applications and to generate appropriate demonstration examples and showcases to be used in a dedicated ESA TM publication. An important component of the project is the integration of the implemented applications in the PolSARpro Software and the generation of the appropriate demonstration examples for demonstration and educational purposes. A global overview of the different WPs involving the PolSARpro v5.0 Software in the framework of the ESA funded POLSAR-Ap project will be presented.

6. OUTLOOK
Currently in its development stage, PolSARpro v5.0 Software (source code and elements software packages) is added gradually and made publicly available for free download on the Internet from the ESA Web Portal (Earthnet) at: http://earth.esa.int/polsarpro. A global overview of all the main functionalities proposed in the PolSARpro v5.0 Software will be presented during the symposium, accompanied with a focus on the new specific links and associations of PolSARpro v5.0 Software with NEST (New ESA Software Toolbox).