ARSET Breaks Attendance Records with Recent SAR Training
On May 12th, ARSET broke the record for the highest participation it has seen in one of its trainings in 11 years of existence. Over 2,700 remote sensers from all over the world tuned in for part one of our advanced webinar titled Forest Mapping and Monitoring with SAR Data. This advanced training series covers how radar data can be used for land cover mapping, along with tools and software that can be used and a glimpse into upcoming NASA missions that include synthetic aperture radar (SAR).
SAR has been a hot topic lately in the world of remote sensing. Radar remote sensing overcomes challenges posed by the use of spectral data because of its ability to “see” the surface through clouds or regardless of day or night conditions. In addition, the radar signal can penetrate through the vegetation canopy and provide information relevant to structure and density. Through the way the signal reacts with the physical environment, it is possible to discern things that would be impossible by only using spectral data. SAR data can also be combined with spectral data to take your land cover classifications even further. Although the capabilities and benefits of SAR data for forest mapping and monitoring are known, it is underused operationally due to data complexities and limited user-friendly tutorials.
That being said, every ARSET training on the use of SAR data to date has seen exceptional participation figures, with the most recent one topping the charts. In summary, 1,409 tuned in for the English session (a record for single-session attendance) and 1,321 for the Spanish session, totaling 2,730 people. These people came from 120 countries, 45 U.S. states, and about 1,750 unique organizations. The final sessions will air on Thursday, May 21st and will include guest speaker Paul Siqueira from the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) team. If you would like a copy of the training materials, or if you want to view a recording of the training, you can do so on the ARSET training web page or on YouTube.
