Arctic maritime surveillance with sentinel-1 data using a norwegian collaborative ground segment

The Sentinel-1A and Sentinel-1B C-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites provide data for European Union's Copernicus program. Norway uses SAR satellites operationally to monitor Norway's maritime areas of interest. Since 2010 satellite AIS (Automatic Identification System) from AISSat-1 and -2 have been used to get additional information about the maritime picture. The paper presents results from trials and early operations with Sentinel-1A and -1B for maritime surveillance in the Norwegian Arctic. System performance from an end user perspective and a Norwegian collaborative ground segment are discussed and analyzed. Use of the Sentinel-1 satellites for ship detection is also addressed. Ship to sea contrast is analyzed, including ways to enhance the contrast to improve vessel detection probability.