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Environmental Remote Sensing in Egypt pp 127–166Cite as

Radar Remote Sensing Applications in Egypt

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Abstract

Radar remote sensing is a rapidly developing topic with a fast-growing facets of technology and range of applications. Exploratory research studies started in Egypt in the late 1990s on opportunity basis when data were available free of charge. Radar sensors transmit radiation in the microwave bands and use the measured backscatter to infer properties of the earth’s surface. The surface parameters that influence the backscatter are different from those influencing the reflection and emission from optical and thermal infrared bands, respectively. Therefore, radar data usually offer distinctive perspectives on the surface and subsurface properties. This chapter provides an overview of the three spaceborne radar sensors with focus on the most versatile one; the synthetic aperture radar (SAR). The other two are scatterometers and radar altimeters. Due to the increasing availability of space-borne SAR systems and the accessibility of free data, SAR users’ community is expanding in Egypt. A brief theoretical background of SAR is presented, followed by applications of single and dual channel systems, then the newly-developed polarimetric and interferometric systems. The most frequent SAR applications in Egypt are in the fields of geology, hydrology and archeology. No operational applications have been developed yet. Brief information on relevant applications of radar altimetry data are also presented along with an outlook on the future use of radar remote sensing in Egypt.

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Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank all the staff at the National Authority of Remote Sensing and Space Sciences (NARSS) in Egypt who have shared their experience of using SAR data over nearly 20 years. This information is reflected in many passages in this chapter. A special note of appreciation goes to the Late Prof. T. Ramadan who was a pioneer in using SAR data for geological applications.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environment and Climate Change Canada, 4905 Dufferin Street, Toronto, ON, M3H-5T4, Canada

    Mohammed E. Shokr

  2. National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences (NARSS), 23 Joseph Tito Street, El-Nozha El-Gedida, P.O. Box: 1564 Alf Maskan, Cairo, Egypt

    Mohammed E. Shokr

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  1. Mohammed E. Shokr
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Correspondence to Mohammed E. Shokr .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Engineering Applications Department, National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences, Cairo, Egypt

    Salwa F. Elbeih

  2. Faculty of Engineering, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt

    Abdelazim M. Negm

  3. P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

    Andrey Kostianoy

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Shokr, M.E. (2020). Radar Remote Sensing Applications in Egypt. In: Elbeih, S., Negm, A., Kostianoy, A. (eds) Environmental Remote Sensing in Egypt. Springer Geophysics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-39593-3_5

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