Organizer: Eric Lindsey (University of New Mexico, WInSAR Executive Committee Chair)
Description: Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) data-products management and education are important to the research community and should be a significant component of the mission of the EarthScope Consortium and NSF’s future geophysical facility (FGF). Over the past three decades, InSAR methods have moved from capturing only snapshots of the earthquake deformation cycle, to constraining multidecadal processes that encompass the fields of active tectonics, volcanology, geomorphology, hydrology, and cryosphere sciences.
WInSAR was established by a group of practicing scientists and engineers to facilitate advancement of Earth science research using radar remote sensing. WInSAR formed under the auspices of the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) in 1999 and became part of UNAVCO in 2006. Its current members include universities, research laboratories, and public agencies. Today, the WInSAR community includes 318 member institutions from around the world. The historical objectives of WInSAR include: 1) promoting the use and development of InSAR technology for scientific investigations; 2) acquiring SAR imagery in western North America from sources that do not routinely provide free, open and unlimited access to data; 3) advocating the open exchange of SAR data and disseminating data for use by member organizations; 4) providing value-added InSAR products; and 5) educating and training the scientific community on software use and InSAR applications.
With the upcoming founding of the EarthScope Consortium and NSF’s FGF, there is an opportunity to reimagine the future of WInSAR, including objectives and opportunities. This SIG, organized by the WInSAR Executive Committee will present ideas and seek community feedback on the future of WInSAR.
Townhall Goals: Following brief presentations by the WInSAR EC, we will organize breakout groups to discuss various questions posed by the EC. Each breakout group will present a summary of their discussions.
This townhall coincides with the Tuesday morning SIG sessions and will continue through the lunch hour as well. Because a separate lunch will be offered for participants of the WInSAR townhall gathering, we kindly request that you register in advance if you plan to attend by sending a message to workshop@iris.edu
