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Full catalog/sentinel-1-slc
sentinel-1-slc·dataset

Raw radar images with phase data for analysis (Copernicus)

Sentinel-1 Single Look Complex: IW, EW, SM
land ESA ESA Copernicus active
In plain English

What it measures. These are detailed radar images that keep both the strength and the precise timing (phase) of the returning radar signal. The phase information is what lets scientists measure tiny ground movements between two passes.

How it's made. Made by ESA Copernicus from Sentinel-1 C-band radar, kept at Level-1 in the satellite's native imaging geometry with full signal detail (complex values) preserved.

How & where you'd use it. This is a specialist input rather than a ready-to-view picture. It is used to detect ground sinking, earthquakes, volcanoes, and landslides through interferometry.

What's measured

SentinelCopernicusESASLCSARC-BandEUECIWEWSM

Coverage & cadence

  • Time span2014-10-04 → ongoing
  • Spatial extent-180, -90, 180, 90

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 collection offers Sentinel-1 Level-1 Single Look Complex (SLC) products captured in the modes Interferometric Wide Swath (IW), Extra Wide Swath (EW), and Strip Map Mode (SM). Level-1 SLC products are images in the slant range by azimuth imaging plane, in the image plane of satellite data acquisition. Each image pixel is represented by a complex (I and Q) magnitude value and therefore contains both amplitude and phase information. Each I and Q value is 16 bits per pixel. The processing for all SLC products results in a single look in each dimension using the full available signal bandwidth. The imagery is geo-referenced using orbit and attitude data from the satellite. SLC images are produced in a zero Doppler geometry. This convention is common with the standard slant range products available from other SAR sensors.

Get the data

copernicus_access.py
# ESA Copernicus Data Space — open STAC API (free account)
from pystac_client import Client

cat = Client.open("https://stac.dataspace.copernicus.eu/v1")
search = cat.search(
    collections=["sentinel-1-slc"],   # add _cog or _nc for a format variant
    bbox=(-10, 35, 30, 60),             # your area (W,S,E,N)
    datetime="2024-01-01/2024-12-31",
)
items = list(search.items())            # then read assets with rioxarray / xarray
Browsing the Copernicus STAC is open; downloading bytes needs a free Copernicus Data Space account.