• Journal of Space Technology and Applications
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.268-281
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• 2021

Recently, the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) has been increasingly in demand due to its advantage of being able to observe desired points regardless of time and weather. To utilize SAR data, first of all, many pre-processing such as satellite orbit correction, radiometric calibration, multi-looking, and geocoding are required. For analysis of SAR imagery such as object detection, change detection, and DEM(Digital Elevation Model), additional processings are needed. These pre-processing and additional processes are very complex and require a lot of time and computational resources. In order to handle the SAR images easily, the institutions that use SAR images develop analysis tools and provide users. This paper introduces the function and characteristics of representative SAR imagery analysis tools.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.39 no.6_3
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• pp.1791-1799
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• 2023

The Korea Aerospace Research Institute is responsible for supplying and supporting the utilization of imagery data from the Arirang satellite series for organizations affiliated with the Government Satellite Information Application Consultation. Most of them primarily utilize optical imagery, and there is a relative lack of utilization of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery. In this paper, as part of supporting the use of SAR images, we investigated SAR intensity-based change detection algorithms and their use cases that have been researched to determine SAR intensity-based change detection algorithms to be developed in the future. As a result of the research, we found that various algorithms utilizing intensity difference, correlation coefficients, histograms, or polarimetric information have been researched by numerous researchers to detect and analyze change pixels and the applications of change detection algorithms have been studied in various fields such as a city, flood, forest fire, and vegetation. This study will serve as a reference for the development of SAR change detection algorithms, intended for utilization in the Government Satellite Information Application Consultation.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.38 no.6_4
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• pp.1955-1969
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• 2022

Most of the public and private users who use national satellite information such as the KOMPSAT series mainly use Electro-Optical and Infrared (EO/IR) satellite images, and the utilization of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images is relatively insufficient. As KOMPSAT-5 currently in operation, KOMPSAT-6 and micro SAR satellite constellation systems are scheduled to be launched in the future, the demand for utilization of SAR satellite information is increasing in various fields. Accordingly, it is necessary to possess core technology for SAR utilization that can support the utilization of SAR satellite information for users. Due to the all-weather properties of SAR system, change detection technology is a key application technology. However, until now, the development of technology that automatic change detection and cueing using SAR images is insufficient. Through this study, the requirements of automatic change detection and cueing function using multi-temporal KOMPSAT-5 SAR satellite images were derived and a prototype program was developed. This prototype program aims to secure independent SAR utilization technology and promote the utilization of domestic SAR satellite information by practitioners in public sector organizations in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.39 no.6_1
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• pp.1401-1411
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• 2023

In the face of escalating utilization of the marine spatial domain, conflicts have emerged among stakeholders, necessitating effective management strategies beyond conventional government permits and regulations. Particularly within the domain of aquaculture, operational oversight relies on a localized licensing system, posing challenges in accurately assessing the prevailing circumstances. This research employs synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery as a tool to monitor coastal aquaculture fish farms, aimed at enhancing insights into management protocols. Leveraging Sentinel-1A imagery and time series SAR data integration, a superimposition technique is utilized, facilitating noise reduction while retaining crucial information regarding smaller-scale facilities, such as fish farms. Through analysis of VH polarization data, a detection overall accuracy of approximately 88% for coastal fish farms was achieved. The findings of this study offer potential applications in the continuous monitoring of aquaculture farms in correspondence with seasonal variations in aquaculture yields, thereby proposing frameworks for the establishment of effective management cycles for marine space utilization.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.38 no.6_3
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• pp.1777-1788
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• 2022

The reservoir is a major water supply source in the domestic agricultural environment, and the monitoring of water storage of reservoirs is important for the utilization and management of agricultural water resource. Remote sensing via satellite imagery can be an effective method for regular monitoring of widely distributed objects such as reservoirs, and in this study, image classification and image segmentation algorithms are applied to Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery for water body detection in 53 reservoirs in South Korea. Six algorithms are used: Neural Network (NN), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Random Forest (RF), Otsu, Watershed (WS), and Chan-Vese (CV), and the results of water body detection are evaluated with in-situ images taken by drones. The correlations between the in-situ water surface area and detected water surface area from each algorithm are NN 0.9941, SVM 0.9942, RF 0.9940, Otsu 0.9922, WS 0.9709, and CV 0.9736, and the larger the scale of reservoir, the higher the linear correlation was. WS showed low recall due to the undetected water bodies, and NN, SVM, and RF showed low precision due to over-detection. For water body detection through SAR imagery, we found that aquatic plants and artificial structures can be the error factors causing undetection of water body.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.627-636
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• 2021

Although many studies on ship detection using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite images are being conducted around the world, there are still very few employing SAR microsatellites, as most of the microsatellites are optical satellites. Recently, the ICEYE and Capella Space have embarked on the development of microsatellites with SAR sensor, and similar projects are being initiated globally in line with the flow of the new space era [e.g., for the ICEYE: 18 satellites (~2021); Capella Space: 36 satellites (~2023); and the Coast Guard SAR: 32 satellites in the early development stage]. In preparation for these new systems, it is important to review the SAR microsatellite system and the recent advances in this technology. Accordingly, in this paper, the current status and characteristics of optical and SAR microsatellite constellation operation are described, and studies using them are investigated. In addition, based on the status and characteristics of the representative SAR microsatellites, specifically the ICEYE and Capella systems, methods for using SAR microsatellite data for ship detection applications are described. Our results confirm that the SAR microsatellites operate as a constellation and have the advantages of short revisit cycles and quick provision of high-resolution images. With this technology, we expect SAR microsatellites to contribute greatly to the monitoring a wide-area target vessel, in which the spatiotemporal resolution of the imagery is especially important.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.37 no.6_3
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• pp.1923-1929
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• 2021

Earth observation satellites are being used in various field and are being developed in many countries due to their high utility and marketability. Korea is developing various Earth observation satellites according to National Space Development Plan. Among them, the Korea Multi-Purpose Satellite(KOMPSAT) series is the most representative low-orbit satellite. So far, a total of five KOMPSAT have been launched to meet the national image demand and have been used in various fields, including national institutions. This special issue introduces research related to data processing, analysis, and utilization using various image data from the KOMPSAT series. Meanwhile, for the uninterrupted utilization of the subsequent KOMPSAT image data, data processing and utilization research suitable for high-resolution images must be continued, and related research contents will be continuously shared through a special issue.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.34 no.6_3
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• pp.1311-1317
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• 2018

The ultimate goal of satellite development is to use information obtained from satellites. Therefore, national-levelsatellite development program should include not only hardware development, but also infrastructure establishment and application technology development for information utilization. Until now, Korea has developed various satellites and has been very useful in weather and maritime surveillance as well as various disasters. In particular, KOMPSAT (Korea Multi-purpose Satellite) images have been used extensively in agriculture, forestry and marine fields based on high spatial resolution, and has been widely used in research related to precision mapping and change detection. This special issue aims to introduce a variety of recent studies conducted using KOMPSAT optical and SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) images and to disseminate related satellite image application technologies to the public sector.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.38 no.6_3
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• pp.1749-1760
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• 2022

In modern society, human and social damages caused by natural disasters and frequent disaster accidents have been increased year by year. Prompt access to dangerous disaster sites that are inaccessible or inaccessible using state-of-the-art Earth observation equipment such as satellites, drones, and survey robots, and timely collection and analysis of meaningful disaster information. It can play an important role in protecting people's property and life throughout the entire disaster management cycle, such as responding to disaster sites and establishing mid-to long-term recovery plans. This special issue introduces the National Disaster Management Research Institute (NDMI)'s disaster management technology that utilizes various Earth observation platforms, such as mobile survey vehicles equipped with close-range disaster site survey sensors, drones, and survey robots, as well as satellite technology, which is a tool of remote earth observation. Major research achievements include detection of damage from water disasters using Google Earth Engine, mid- and long-term time series observation, detection of reservoir water bodies using Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images and artificial intelligence, analysis of resident movement patterns in case of forest fire disasters, and data analysis of disaster safety research. Efficient integrated management and utilization plan research results are summarized. In addition, research results on scientific investigation activities on the causes of disasters using drones and survey robots during the investigation of inaccessible and dangerous disaster sites were described.