Welcome to the EarthScope Geodetic Imaging Portal

The Earth's surface is a dynamic,complex system of processes that are constantly evolving and changing through time. Scientific research into these processes seeks to understand what causes some of the most significant natural hazards on Earth (earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides) and how the risk from these events can be reduced for the affected citizens and environment. Long term processes such as subsidence due to groundwater extraction, change in ice thickness, and growth of forests are also necessary to understand exactly how the Earth's surface is changing across the globe. The technique of spaceborne Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) provides an excellent means of observing deformation (movement of the Earth's surface) over broad areas. It is capable of 10's of meters spatial resolution at monthly or greater intervals. InSAR has proven to be a powerful tool to characterize large-scale and small-scale deformation spanning time periods that range from a few years to decades. It is also an ideal tool for improving digital terrain models.

Motivation: As part of the National Geophysical Facility supported by the US National Science Foundation, EarthScope provides support to the academic Geodetic Imaging community. Activities include:

• Promote the use and development of InSAR technology for scientific investigations, in particular but not limited to, seismic and magmatic processes, plate boundary deformation, land subsidence, and topographic mapping.
• Acquire SAR imagery in western North America, archive and catalog the data, and disseminate it for use by member organizations.
• Provide value-added InSAR products and software for use by the scientific community.
• Advocate the open exchange of SAR data by seeking to enlarge the number of member organizations.
• Solicit funds and promote programs and space missions to meet these objectives.

EarthScope provides organizational and operational support. EarthScope Data Products and Services Advisory Committee (DPSAC) provides governance.

Data: The Geodetic Imaging system provides the opportunity to download both raw and processed SAR data. The Seamless SAR Archive (SSARA) enables SAR and InSAR data search, access, and download from a variety of satellites. The Geodetic Imaging system helps coordinate requests for data acquisition and data sharing, aiding individual investigators by simplifying interactions with data providers. The InSAR Product Archive allows the community to publish FAIR InSAR products so they can be cited and reused.

Funding: Geodetic Imaging is supported via the National Geophysical Facility under funding from the NSF and NASA. A portion of archived data was provided at low or no cost by the European Space Agency, DLR, ASI, and JAXA. EarthScope does not review or fund research.

History: The Western North America InSAR (WInSAR) Consortium was established by a group of practicing scientists and engineers to facilitate collaboration in, and advancement of, Earth science research using radar remote sensing. Its members are universities, research laboratories, and public agencies. WInSAR oversaw the acquisition and archiving of spaceborne SAR data over western North America for the benefit of the membership. WInSAR was dissolved with the incorporation of EarthScope on January 1st, 2023. EarthScope with support from the NGF continues to support the original objectives of WInSAR.