GeoSar Sees Earth's Dimensions

Aerial surveying is a vital tool for resource management and mapping, but a drawback of most techniques is that they produce a two-dimensional image. Now, Total Aircraft Services of Van Nuys, CA, is installing the Geographic Synthetic Aperture Radar (GeoSAR) on a Gulfstream II.

GeoSAR is a radar that can image the earth's surface in three dimensions, generating a terrain database or imagery. Similar imagery has been used for such tasks as defining areas that are vulnerable to landslides in an earthquake.

GeoSAR is being developed by a consortium comprising Calgis, a mapping company based in Fresno; the California Department of Conservation; and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, with funding provided by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

Total Aircraft Services (Booth N708) is under contract to perform the complete integration task, including design, modification and certification. The aircraft will be available commercially after it is certificated, in late 1999.