Using GIS in passive soil moisture mapping on a regional scale

One of the objectives of the SGP97 Hydrology Experiment was soil moisture mapping on a regional scale. In this experiment brightness temperature was measured with the help of the Electronically Scanned Thinned Array Radiometer (ESTAR). Data collected by this instrument produces a spatially distributed map product. The soil moisture algorithm, based on the ESTAR measurements, requires additional environmental data to be combined together. A geographical information system (GIS) for the ESTAR input data was developed in order to handle all ancillary data layers, perform model calculations and retrieve the results-soil moisture maps over the investigated area.