Applicability of ALOS2 to Maritime Surveillance

Abstract:
The recent increase in seaborne piracy attacks on the important sea lanes such as Straits of Malacca and Gulf of Aden significantly affects to not only security of the crews but also economy around the marine transportation. In addition to that, the issues of illegal fishing boats around Exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and oil spills has made ocean surveillance one of the most important SAR applications for safe navigation of ships due to its flexible operability. In this context, an experimental investigation of the applicability of PALSAR2/ALOS2, facilitating the world’s most flexible pointing ability and various observation modes at L-band, to maritime monitoring is scheduled. The validation plan and the core image processing technology to support the global ocean surveillance by ALOS2 are also introduced.