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Full catalog/CYGNSS_L1_RAW_IF
CYGNSS_L1_RAW_IF·v1.0·dataset

Raw radar signals for measuring winds (CYGNSS)

CYGNSS Level 1 Raw Intermediate Frequency Data Record
land NASA POCLOUD Level 1 RAW
In plain English

What it measures. Raw, unprocessed radio-signal recordings from the CYGNSS instrument, captured at the highest possible detail before any signal processing.

How it's made. Collected by the Delay-Doppler Mapping Instrument on the CYGNSS satellite constellation, which digitizes incoming radio signals from its antennas during short overpasses of target areas.

How & where you'd use it. A specialized raw input used to build high-resolution maps for measuring ocean winds; intended for technical users who construct higher-level products, not for direct everyday use.

What's measured

SPECTRAL/ENGINEERING › RADAR › SENSOR COUNTS

Coverage & cadence

  • Time span2017-02-19 → ongoing
  • Measured byCYGNSS (DDMI)
  • Processing levelLevel 1
  • Spatial extent-180, -40, 180, 40
  • FormatsRAW
  • StatusACTIVE

What you can do with it

  • Track deforestation, fire scars and land-cover change
  • Monitor crop and vegetation health (NDVI/EVI)
  • Map how built-up vs. green an area is over time
Official description

This Level 1 (L1) dataset contains the Raw Intermediate Frequency (IF) sensor data from the Delay Doppler Mapping Instrument aboard the CYGNSS satellite constellation. The primary CYGNSS instrument, also known as the Delay-Doppler Mapping Instrument (DDMI), digitizes the incoming radio frequency (RF) streams from three input antenna channels (2 nadir oriented science antennas and one zenith oriented navigation antenna). The Raw IF data included in this data record are the raw sensor counts, retrieved prior to any digital signal processing, thus providing the highest possible resolution in delay and doppler space allowing for the construction of high resolution Delay Doppler Map (DDM) data. Raw IF data records are 30-90 sec in duration, with 60 sec being typical, and are initiated by ground commands to coincide with an overpass by one of the spacecraft of a target area of interest.

Get the data

cygnss_l1_raw_if_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="CYGNSS_L1_RAW_IF",
    version="1.0",
    bounding_box=(-122.5, 37.2, -121.8, 37.9),  # your area (W,S,E,N)
    temporal=("2024-01-01", "2024-12-31"),       # your dates
)
files = earthaccess.open(results)   # stream straight from POCLOUD
Browsing CMR needs no login. Downloading or streaming bytes needs a free Earthdata Login + the earthaccess package.