The ALOS Kyoto & Carbon Initiative

The ALOS Kyoto & Carbon Initiative is an international collaborative project led by the JAXA Earth Observation Research Center (EORC). It forms the continuation of JAXA’s on-going JERS-1 SAR Global Rain Forest and Global Boreal Forest Mapping project(GRFM/GBFM) into the era of the Advanced Land Observation Satellite (ALOS). The ALOS K & C Initiative has been set up to support the data and information needs required by international environmental Conventions; Carbon Cycle scientists and Environmental Conservation programs (referred below to as the CCCs). Led and coordinated by EORC JAXA, the Initiative is being undertaken by an international Science Team and focuses primarily on defining and optimizing the provision of data products and validated thematic information derived from in-situ and satellite sensors focusing on data acquired from the Phased Array L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) on-board the Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS). The objective of the ALOS K & C Initiative is to define, develop and validate thematic products derived from ALOS PALSAR data that can be used to meet specific information requirements relating to the CCCs. A key component of this work has been the development of a systematic data acquisition strategy for ALOS which comprises fixed, systematic global observation plans for PALSAR. The strategy is implemented as a top-level foreground mission and with a priority level second only to that of emergency observations. With emphasis on acquiring repetitive and consistent data over continental scales, it ensures that adequate data will be collected to allow the required thematic output products to be developed on a timely basis. The K & C Initiative is based on the three coordinated themes relating to global biomes; Forests, Wetlands, Deserts and Semi-Arid Regions, and a fourth theme dealing with the generation of regional ALOS PALSAR Mosaics. A key word for the Initiative is regionalscale applications and product development, with data requirements in the order of hundreds or thousands of PALSAR scenes for each prototype area. Each theme has identified key products that can be generated from the PALSAR data including land cover, forest change mapping and forest biomass and structure analysis; global wetland inventory compilation and landscape change determination; and freshwater resources and desertification. Each of the products developed will be generated using a combination of PALSAR imagery, in situ measurements and ancillary datasets. An international Scientific Advisory Panel has been established to maintain the scientific relevance of project design and to ensure alignment with other relevant international efforts (e.g. GOFC/GOLD, IGOL, GTOS/TCO). The panel consists of scientists active in the fields of carbon modeling and biophysical parameter retrieval; SAR and image processing, as well as and representatives from GOFC, TCO, FAO, space agencies, universities and public research institutions.