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Full catalog/NISAR_L2_GSLC_BETA_V1
NISAR_L2_GSLC_BETA_V1·v1·dataset

Radar image snapped to a map grid (NISAR, beta)

NISAR Beta Geocoded Single Look Complex Product (Version 1)
land NASA ASF Level 2 active HDF5PNGXMLPDF
In plain English

What it measures. This is a NISAR radar image that has been snapped onto a standard map grid, stored as complex numbers that preserve both echo strength and phase. The phase is adjusted so two such images can be combined to detect ground movement.

How it's made. Produced from NISAR's raw radar data by projecting it from the radar's own geometry onto map coordinates using terrain heights, as a Level-2 product.

How & where you'd use it. A technical input for measuring surface deformation and change by comparing images; it is for specialists. These are beta products for familiarization and are explicitly not intended for scientific research.

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 2
  • Spatial extent-180, -90, 180, 90
  • FormatsHDF5, PNG, XML, 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) Geocoded Single Look Complex (GSLC) product is a Level 2 product derived from the Level 1 Range Doppler Single Look Complex (RSLC) product by geocoding the input RSLC into a geocoded map coordinate system such as the UTM/Polar stereographic projection system. The geocoding is performed by inverse mapping of the map coordinates with their topographic heights into the radar coordinate system and interpolating the radar signal at the radar location corresponding to the map coordinate. Phase preserving complex interpolation projects the data onto a uniformly spaced, north-south/east-west aligned geographic grid. The phase of the GSLC product is flattened for the orbit used in the RSLC processing. The phase flattening removes the topographic phase contribution in the GSLC. Consequently, cross-multiplying two GSLC products will result in an interferometric phase flattened interferogram. 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_l2_gslc_beta_v1_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="NISAR_L2_GSLC_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.