NSIDC DAAC

RAMP Data

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For background information, visit the RAMP Project site at NSIDC.

In 1997, the Canadian RADARSAT-1 satellite was rotated in orbit, so that its synthetic aperture radar (SAR) antenna looked south towards Antarctica. This permitted the first high-resolution mapping of the entire continent of Antarctica. In less than three weeks, the satellite acquired a complete coverage of radar image swaths as part of the first Antarctic Mapping Mission (AMM-1). Swath images have been assembled into an image mosaic depicting the entire continent at 25 m resolution. The mosaic provides a detailed look at ice sheet morphology, rock outcrops, research infrastructure, the coastline, and other features of Antarctica, as well as representing calibrated radar backscatter data which may provide insight into climate processes affecting the upper few meters of snow cover.

Data are available from both the Alaska Satellite Facility (ASF) and the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). The collection includes images at a wide variety of resolutions, and images from both Versions 1 and 2 of the mosaic, which was updated in 2001 in order to correct a variety of errors.

The following products are available:

  1. A 125 m resolution Version 2 mosaic is available via FTP as a flat binary file accompanied by a descriptive README file.
  2. The 25 m resolution Version 2 images and ancillary data comprise approximately 90 separate "tiles" available to approved users only. Each 25 m resolution tile is composed of many subtiles, which must be assembled into the tile image. Tiles are packaged with the necessary tools and with a variety of ancillary information, including surface elevation and information about the original swath data used to create the mosaic. See the 25 m tile README file for more information.
  3. A 250 m resolution image mosaic derived from Version 1 125 m data is available on CD-ROM, packaged with simple viewing software.
  4. 200 m, 500 m, and 1 km resolution Version 2 GeoTIF images are available via FTP.

RADARSAT Antarctic Mapping Project (RAMP) is a joint effort of NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). The project was conducted collaboratively by the Byrd Polar Research Center, Vexcel Corporation, the Alaska Satellite Facility, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, with funding from NASA's Pathfinder Program. The project also received valuable assistance from the National Science Foundation, the Environmental Research Institute of Michigan, and the National Imagery and Mapping Agency.

In addition to these SAR-derived products, a new digital elevation model (DEM) was compiled prior to the RAMP data acquisition for use in processing the SAR imagery. The RAMP DEM is gridded at 200, 400, and 1,000 meters and is available in a variety of formats. Note that the RAMP DEM does not contain any SAR-derived elevations; it represents a compilation of the best elevation data available prior to the AMM-1 mission. (Version 2 of the DEM contains some more recent data, but still no SAR-derived products; see RADARSAT Antarctic Mapping Project Digital Elevation Model Version 2.)

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