1. Webinar: “KappaOne – Sentinel-1 data layers for the subsidy checks under CAP”
Sentinel-1 is a radar satellite that works both day and night and can see through the clouds and is, therefore, an excellent source of data for monitoring changes in agricultural land. The KappaOne service is designed to make Sentinel-1 SAR data easily accessible and ready to be used and analysed. It is extremely helpful for the subsidy checks under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). For example, it is valuable for planning field visits to the most problematic areas and getting an initial overview of the field before leaving the office. Moreover, it is applicable for checking the parcels manually, where the machine learning model gives an uncertain or borderline result. Sentinel-1 images are also well suited for assessment of mowing, harvesting, ploughing and other markers.
Join the KappaOne webinar to learn more about the service and its use cases for the subsidy check under CAP. The webinar will be held on the 30th of June from 15:00 until 16:00 EEST. You can register here: https://forms.gle/dzYjorhjrPNxRYym7
Jelizaveta Vabištševitš, EO analyst
2. KappaMask in cloud masks comparison
KappaZeta is taking part in the Cloud Mask Intercomparison Exercise (CMIX) meeting in ESA/ESRIN, 20-21 June. It is a framework to compare alternative cloud masks for Sentinel-2, Landsat-8/-9 and other widely used optical missions. Cloud mask processor developers and Earth Observation experts discuss and (hopefully) agree on a common way how to label the reference data and measure the accuracy of cloud masks. Taken the hard work our team has done I’m sure KappaMask will stand out here as one of the most accurate cloud masks for Sentinel-2.
Kaupo Voormansik, CEO, SAR expert
3. NISAR is coming
There are several new and interesting upcoming SAR missions including Copernicus ROSE-L, Sentinel-1 NG, ALOS-4 and NISAR. Perhaps the most interesting in the near future is NISAR jointly developed by NASA and ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation). The satellite is almost ready with the testing and qualification procedure yet to be concluded before the launch, which is expected to early 2024. NISAR is very interesting mission because of three reasons, firstly it is a dual-band mission acquiring SAR data simultaneously in S- and L-band. It will be a Sentinel-1 like data factory imaging the whole planet several times per week and its data policy is planned to be free and open.
The last two points are very important for an operational service development point of view. KappaZeta will keep an eye on NISAR developments and help the world to make the most of this beautiful up-and-coming SAR data factory. If everything goes well people can access and use NISAR data in a simple way via our KappaOne service starting from 2024.
Kaupo Voormansik, CEO, SAR expert
