The BELSAR dataset: Mono- and bistatic full-pol L-band SAR for agriculture and hydrology

TL;DR

The BELSAR dataset provides high-resolution mono- and bistatic L-band SAR data with concurrent agricultural and hydrological measurements, supporting advancements in remote sensing applications for agriculture and water management.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive, publicly accessible dataset combining multistatic SAR data with in situ bio-geophysical measurements for agriculture and hydrology.

Findings

Enables new research in SAR-based agricultural monitoring.

Supports development of multistatic SAR processing techniques.

Facilitates validation of remote sensing models.

Abstract

The BELSAR dataset is a unique collection of high-resolution airborne mono- and bistatic fully-polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data in L-band, alongside concurrent measurements of vegetation and soil bio-geophysical variables measured in maize and winter wheat fields during the summer of 2018 in Belgium. This innovative dataset, the collection of which was funded by the European Space Agency (ESA), helps addressing the lack of publicly-accessible experimental datasets combining multistatic SAR and in situ measurements. As such, it offers an opportunity to advance the development of SAR remote sensing science and applications for agricultural monitoring and hydrology. This paper aims to facilitate its adoption and exploration by offering comprehensive documentation and integrating its multiple data sources into a unified, analysis-ready dataset.