The downstream space sector in Italy is confronted with distinctive challenges, marked by a fragmented landscape, inadequate stakeholder interactions, underdeveloped business planning, and a critical need for improved industrial and financial acumen. In response to these challenges, the Italian Space Agency has taken a central role in addressing these issues through the establishment of the Downstream and Integrated Application Unit. The primary objective of this unit is to elevate the competitiveness of national Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), industries, and academia operating in the space sector. Within this strategic framework, the PRISMA SCIENZA program emerges as a pivotal initiative, aiming to harness the scientific data generated by the PRISMA mission for the improvement of the Italian Community. Specifically, the program is designed to facilitate the complete exploitation of mission data while concurrently fostering the advancement of Italian expertise in the hyperspectral remote sensing sector.By operating within this comprehensive framework, the PRISMA SCIENZA program contributes to the overarching goal of addressing challenges within the Italian downstream space sector. It not only serves as a mechanism for maximizing the utilization of mission data but also plays a vital role in promoting the growth and proficiency of the Italian space industry, aligning with broader strategic objectives set forth by the Italian Space Agency.Aim of this paper is to analyze the effects the PRISMA SCIENZA program brought to the Italian industrial and scientific communities.

The main objective of the project SCIA (Sviluppo di algoritmi per lo studio della Criosfera mediante Immagini PrismA) is the development and optimization of methods for generating products related to the cryosphere. The project foresees the development of a robust processing chain of PRISMA hyperspectral data for the estimation of snow and glacier parameters in Alpine areas, through a combined use of satellite images, field data and radiative transfer models (RTMs). The image spectroscopy measurements provided by PRISMA will make possible to investigate radiometrically complex surfaces and obtain geophysical parameters currently only achievable through airborne hyperspectral sensors.

This research aims to exploit the potentialities of multi-mission SAR data at X-, C- and L-band for the monitoring of snowpack and alpine soils. The snow parameters as snow water equivalent, snow liquid water content and snow metamorphism have been monitored and different methods are proposed for their retrieval. In order to gather consistent datasets, experimental activities have been conducted in two selected sites in Northern Italy, which are covered by alpine snow during winter and spring periods and are in some cases characterized by the presence of permafrost. Microwave responses of snow and soil have been then simulated by using electromagnetic (i.e., AIEM, Oh, SFT and DMRT-QCA), and physical models (SNOWPACK). Finally, machine learning approaches, as Artificial Neural Networks and Random Forest, were implemented for retrieving snow parameters; whereas interferometric techniques were used in case of snow and soil displacement as rock glaciers. Preliminary and consistent results have been obtained in terms of estimate of snow parameters and soil displacement. This multi-frequency/multi-mission approach enhances the ability of SAR sensors to monitor and analyze snow dynamics, contributing to improved decision-making in various domains.

The "Multi-mission and multi-frequency SAR" program (2021-2023) of the Italian Space Agency supported the national community to develop algorithms combining SAR data collected in C, X and L-bands. Main achievements in terms of SAR data exploitation, integration and data fusion, and new products prototyping are presented with regard to agriculture, natural hazards, urban areas, cryosphere, sea and coast. Perspectives are finally outlined with regard to future SAR missions and towards downstream applications.

In this paper the role of the COSMO-SkyMed constellation data in the framework of the Italian Space Agency (ASI)’s "Multimission and Multifrequency SAR" program has been analyzed. The key aspects regarding the provenance of the Principal Investigators, the application fields and information about the exploitation of the COSMO-SkyMed data, for both the first- and second-generation satellites, are highlighted in the study.

When using multi frequency radars, “color” view and penetration are achieved by sensing the backscattered energy; in addition, it is also possible to compare the multi temporal amplitude signals. Thus, mechanical features of the targets like coherence, coherence changes, or travel path changes are made visible. When a multi-wavelength penetration of the medium is possible, the measurements can be extended to the third dimension, with frequency dependent penetration depth, using the tomography techniques. Applications of multi frequency SAR surveys, simultaneous or not, will be recalled referring also to the algorithms used for focusing, tomography, modeling and classification. This tutorial is part of an IGARSS 2022 special session, sponsored by ASI (Italian Space Agency), dedicated to multi frequency research.

The recent launches of Earth Observation (EO) satellites have made numerous SAR images available to dynamically monitor the ocean with improved spatial resolution at shorter revisit time. Focusing on automatic target detection of ships with the specific aim of improving our Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA), this work assesses the capabilities of multi-frequency/multi-mission spaceborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data. Specifically, Sentinel-1 (C-band), COSMO-SkyMed (X-band), and SAOCOM (L-band) missions have been considered in this analysis. The aim of the paper is to present an efficient approach for interpreting images acquired within small time gaps, ensuring fisheries and pollution control, anti-piracy actions, and surveillance over coastal/protected regions.

In continuity with the investments made on SAR technologies in the last two decades by the Italian Space Agency (ASI), the “Multi-mission and multi-frequency SAR” program currently supports ten R&D projects aiming to design, develop and test innovative algorithms for exploitation of multi-mission/multi-frequency SAR data. Perspectives of engineering and pre-operational development are demonstrated with regard to various application domains (i.e. agriculture, urban areas, natural hazards, cryosphere, sea and coast). Access to COSMO-SkyMed and SAOCOM images is facilitated by ASI to allow the research consortia to achieve an effective multi-frequency SAR data integration. The program represents a foundational step in the ASI's roadmap towards “scientific downstream applications”, i.e. applications enabled by the exploitation of mature and validated algorithms that have been originally developed to answer scientific questions and/or retrieve geophysical parameters, and have been brought to the stage that they can generate products that address specific user needs beyond scientific and academic purposes only.

Recently, the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) have agreed to carry out a joint study for an Earth Observation scientific mission in the infrared spectral range (MWIR-LWIR). A mission of this type is considered of high priority by the NASA's “Decadal Survey” plan, as well as being one of the priorities of the future Sentinel of the Copernicus program. Furthermore, an MWIR-LWIR system with spatial resolutions better than 90 m (target 50 m) could represent a formidable integration of the observational capacity of the ASI PRISMA and SHALOM missions, as it would allow observing the entire wavelength range from Visible to thermal IR and consequently expanding the spectrum of scientific applications of the national satellite system. INGV in 2018-2019 in the frame of ASI contract has carried out a review of scientific and technical requirements for a new EO “Thermal Mission” which my support a large number of applications.

In this study, multi-frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (InSAR) data are used to constrain the ground deformation due to the August 21st, 2017, Ischia earthquake. InSAR results are the input data to infer the source model of the seismic event. C-band Sentinel-l and X-band COSMO-SkyMed© InSAR results show a displacement pattern in the epicentral area, with a maximum value of ~3.5 cm and a dominant vertical component. Preliminary analytical and numerical models suggest that the retrieved InSAR ground displacements are due to the combination of two phenomena: the tectonic dislocation caused by the slip on the fault plane and the surficial displacement caused by the triggering of shallow landslides.

The monitoring of Cultural Heritages is an operational issue that requires a multidisciplinary approach to provide their dynamic and sustainable surveying in response to climate changes and natural events. Within such a framework, an integrated system of proximal remotely-sensed tools is investigated for Cultural Heritage monitoring purposes in a seismic area. It consists of a Ground-Based Synthetic Aperture Radar (GBSAR), a GB Real Aperture Radar (RAR) and a Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS). Preliminary results, gathered over the Sant'Agostino Church in Cosenza city, allow demonstrating the benefits of the proposed approach for Cultural Heritages monitoring.

In this paper, a preliminary validation study of the Azimuth cut-off procedure is presented for the X-band COSMO-SkyMed© SAR-based wind speed estimation. The data set consists of 100 sub-images excerpted by X-band Level 1B Stripmap HImage COSMO-SkyMed© SAR data, gathered in the geographic area of Mediterranean Sea on 2009. The validation is accomplished by using the ground truth provided by timely and spatially co-located QuikSCAT scatterometer data. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach taking full benefits of X-band COSMO-SkyMed© SAR data.

A dual-polarimetric model to exploit PingPong mode X-band full-resolution COSMO-SkyMed (CSK©) SAR data for metallic targets observation purposes is developed. The model relates the correlation between the co-polarized channels, in case of sea surface with and without metallic targets, to the time leg between two successive bursts. Experiments undertaken over COSMO-SkyMed Single Look Complex Slant (SCS) PingPong SAR data demonstrate the soundness of the proposed approach and its effectiveness from an operational viewpoint.

In this study the capabilities of full-resolution Single Look Complex Slant (SCS) ScanSAR Wide Region mode X band COSMO-Sky Med© Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data are exploited to detect metallic objects over the sea. A physically-based filtering technique is developed which, based on the coherent-to-incoherent field ratio (Rice factor), is able to detect even small metallic objects in X-band full-resolution SAR data. Experimental results show the effectiveness of full resolution SCS ScanSAR Wide Region mode X-band COSMO-SkyMed© SAR data to observe small metallic objects at sea.

Within the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, multiplatform synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery is being used to aid post hurricane and postaccident response efforts in the Gulf of Mexico, such as in the case of the recent Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The main areas of interest related to such disasters are the following: (1) to identify oil pipeline leaks and other oil spills at sea and (2) to detect man-made metallic targets over the sea. Within the context of disaster monitoring and response, an innovative processing chain is proposed to observe oil fields (i.e., oil spills and man-made metallic targets) using both Land C-band full-resolution and fully polarimetric SAR data. The processing chain consists of two steps. The first one, based on the standard deviation of the phase difference between the copolarized channels, allows oil monitoring. The second one, based on the different symmetry properties that characterize man made metallic targets and natural distributed ones, allows man made metallic target observation. Experiments, accomplished over single-look complex L-band Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) and C-band RADARSAT-2 fully polarimetric SAR data gathered in the Gulf of Mexico and related to the Deepwater Horizon accident, show the effectiveness of the proposed approach. Furthermore, the proposed approach, being able to process both Land C-band fully polarimetric and full resolution SAR measurements, can take full benefit of both the ALOS PALSAR and RADARSAT-2 missions, and therefore, it allows enhancing the revisit time and coverage which are very critical issues in oil field observation.

In this study, two innovative physically-based approaches have been developed to detect man-made metallic objects and oil slicks in polarimetric SAR data. They are based on the different sea surface scattering mechanisms expected with and without oil slicks and metallic objects. Experiments, accomplished over Single Look Complex (SLC) Level 1.1 quad-pol L-band ALOS PALSAR SAR data, demonstrate the effectiveness of the two approaches for oil slick and metallic target detection purposes and witness the capability of ALOS PALSAR data for such applications.