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Full catalog/NISAR_L1_RSLC_BETA_V1
NISAR_L1_RSLC_BETA_V1·v1·dataset

Raw radar that sees through clouds (NISAR, beta)

NISAR Beta Range Doppler Single Look Complex Product (Version 1)
land NASA ASF Level 1 active HDF5XMLPNGPDF
In plain English

What it measures. This holds the raw radar signal bounced back from the ground by the NISAR mission, stored as complex numbers that capture both the strength and the timing of each echo. It is laid out on the radar's own viewing geometry rather than on a map.

How it's made. Produced from the NISAR satellite's synthetic aperture radar as a low-level Level-1 product, with conversion tables included so the signal can later be turned into standard brightness measures.

How & where you'd use it. A foundational input used to create other radar products such as map-projected images and surface-change measurements; it is for specialists building those higher-level products, not for general use. NISAR is in a beta phase, so these are early-stage data.

What's measured

LAND SURFACE › GEOMORPHIC LANDFORMS/PROCESSESSOLID EARTH › TECTONICSAGRICULTURE › FOREST SCIENCECRYOSPHERE › GLACIERS/ICE SHEETSCRYOSPHERE › FROZEN GROUND

Coverage & cadence

  • Time span2025-10-01 → ongoing
  • Measured byNISAR (L-SAR, S-SAR)
  • Processing levelLevel 1
  • Spatial extent-180, -90, 180, 90
  • FormatsHDF5, XML, PNG, PDF, CSV, KML, YAML
  • 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

The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) Range Doppler Single Look Complex (RSLC) product is in the zero-Doppler radar geometry convention. The output image is on a grid characterized by constant azimuth time interval and one-way slant range spacing. The output grid is also characterized by a fixed starting slant range, azimuth time interval, and slant range spacing values for easy interpolation. All the primary image layers for a multi-polarization or multi-frequency product are generated on a common azimuth time-slant range grid. The RSLC product, which is used to derive other L1 and L2 products, contains individual binary raster layers representing complex signal return for each polarization layer. The RSLC data corresponding to the auxiliary sub-band is stored in a similar format but in a separate data group within the HDF5 product granule. The RSLC product is also packed with input, instrument and processing facility information; processing, calibration and noise parameters; geolocation grid; and data quality flags. The RSLC product complex backscatter is in digital numbers (DNs) with secondary layer look-up tables (LUTs) provided to convert to beta-naught, sigma-naught, and gamma-naught. These radiometric correction LUTs are defined for the ellipsoid (e.g., not for the local terrain). All standard (i.e., non-urgent response) products are processed using the Medium-fidelity Orbit Ephemeris (MOE) product for forward processing and the Precise Orbit Ephemeris (POE) product for reprocessing campaigns. The products in this collection are considered Beta products and are intended to enable users to gain familiarity with the parameters and the data formats. Beta products are not intended for use in scientific research.

Get the data

nisar_l1_rslc_beta_v1_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="NISAR_L1_RSLC_BETA_V1",
    version="1",
    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 ASF
Browsing CMR needs no login. Downloading or streaming bytes needs a free Earthdata Login + the earthaccess package.