STAR-3i INTERFEROMETRIC SYNTHETIC APERTURE RADAR (INSAR): SOME LESSONS LEARNED ON THE ROAD TO COMMERCIALIZATION

Intermap’s across track interferometric synthetic aperture radar, called STAR-3i, entered commercial service in August, 1996. Even though the research phase was highly successful, considerable effort was still required to transform STAR-3i into a system that produced data that were of consistently high quality. Consideration has to be given to first surface and motion issues, as well as to the special problems associated with benign, moderate, and severe terrain. Other issues related to the handling of the data. These required administrative as well as technical solutions and were effectively dealt with when Intermap became ISO 9001 certified. The ISO processes have improved the quality of mission planning, calibration, and data acquisition. Examples are given of problematic data sets and the improvements that were achieved as STAR-3i matured as a commercial system. This information may be of use in evaluating or planning an INSAR collection. It may also be helpful for the scientific community as an overview, and perhaps as a guide to future research requirements in the INSAR field.