Preparing for operational use of RADARSAT-2 data at the Canadian Ice Service

As one of the world's largest operational users of RADARSAT-1 data, the Canadian Ice Service (CIS) is looking forward to the future launch of RADARSAT-2. The RADARSAT-2 mission, including both the Space and Ground segments, promises several technical enhancements beyond RADARSAT-1, which should be beneficial to the CIS. Towards that end and to prepare for operational use of the data, the CIS has been working closely with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and MacDonald Detwiller (MDA), particularly on the Ground Segment, to ensure that the RADARSAT-2 system will best meet our operational needs. Additionally, the CIS is investigating the operational utility to be gained from some of the advanced capabilities of the SAR sensor, specifically the selective single-, dual-, and quad-polarization modes. In this paper we briefly examine, from an operational perspective, various elements and enhancements of the RADARSAT-2 Space and Ground segments, and issues concerning data usage to be addressed in order to maximize the operational utility of RADARSAT-2 data at the CIS.