Doc.: TD-GS-UM-0115 - TanDEM-X Science Server · Chapter 1 introduces the purpose and structure of the document. Chapter 2 contains references to prepare this document. Chapter 3

Doc.: TD-GS-UM-0115 Issue: 1.0 Date: 06.07.2010 Page: 2 of 33

Microwaves and Radar Institute TanDEM-X Ground Segment

TanDEM-X Science Service System Manual – Public –

DOCUMENT PREPARATION

The document on hand was prepared with contributions from the personnel listed below: Name (name, surname) Organizational Unit Busche, Thomas Microwaves and Radar Institute (DLR-HR) Hajnsek, Irena Microwaves and Radar Institute (DLR-HR)




DOCUMENT CHANGE CONTROL

This document is under configuration control. Latest changes to the document are listed first.

Issue Date Chapter Changes

1.0 06.07.2010 All First issue




TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Introduction................................................................................................................... 6

1.1 Purpose ...................................................................................................................... 6 1.2 Scope......................................................................................................................... 6

2 References ..................................................................................................................... 7

2.1 Applicable References................................................................................................. 7 2.2 Reference Documents................................................................................................. 7

3 Terms, Definitions and Abbreviations ......................................................................... 8

3.1 Terms and Definitions ................................................................................................. 8 3.2 Abbreviations ............................................................................................................. 8

4 The TanDEM-X Science Service System Web Interface............................................... 9

4.1 Introduction to the TanDEM-X Science Service System ................................................ 9 4.2 Access to the TanDEM-X Science Service System....................................................... 10 4.3 Access to TerraSAR-X Data for Scientific Use ............................................................. 11 4.4 Summary of the Proposal Submission Procedures ...................................................... 11

5 Detailed Proposal Submission Procedures................................................................. 13

5.1 Basic User Registration.............................................................................................. 13 5.2 First User Login......................................................................................................... 13 5.3 Proposal Creation ..................................................................................................... 15 5.4 Proposal Entering & Submission ................................................................................ 15

5.4.1 Cover Page ..................................................................................................................... 15 5.4.2 General Proposal Description .......................................................................................... 15 5.4.3 Data Requirements ......................................................................................................... 16 5.4.4 Proposal Summary & Submit ........................................................................................... 17

5.5 Proposal Tracking ..................................................................................................... 17 5.6 Proposal Evaluation and Approval ............................................................................. 18 5.7 Data Ordering and Data Take Request Tracking ........................................................ 18 5.8 Responsibilities of the PI............................................................................................ 18

6 Acquisition Request for Bistatic TanDEM-X Data...................................................... 19

6.1 General Workflow .................................................................................................... 20 6.2 Interactive Map ........................................................................................................ 23 6.3 Data Take Name....................................................................................................... 24 6.4 Center Coordinate.................................................................................................... 24 6.5 Imaging Mode.......................................................................................................... 25 6.6 Interferometric Mode ............................................................................................... 25 6.7 Polarisation Channels................................................................................................ 25 6.8 Pass Direction ........................................................................................................... 26 6.9 Looking Direction ..................................................................................................... 27 6.10 Data Take Length [km] ............................................................................................. 27 6.11 Beam Settings .......................................................................................................... 27

6.11.1 Minimum Incidence Angle ........................................................................................... 28




6.11.2 Maximum Incidence Angle........................................................................................... 28 6.11.3 Beams ......................................................................................................................... 28

6.12 Perpendicular Cross Track Base Line.......................................................................... 29 6.13 Along Track Baseline................................................................................................. 30 6.14 Temporal Preferences ............................................................................................... 30 6.15 Multiple Data Takes.................................................................................................. 31 6.16 Personal Text Comments .......................................................................................... 31

7 Technical Advises ........................................................................................................ 32

7.1 Registration .............................................................................................................. 32 7.2 Browser and Operating System Compatibility............................................................ 32 7.3 Use of KML files ....................................................................................................... 33 7.4 Bookmarking............................................................................................................ 33 7.5 Session Time-out ...................................................................................................... 33 7.6 Geodetic Coordinate Notation .................................................................................. 33 7.7 User Password .......................................................................................................... 33




1 Introduction

1.1 Purpose The TanDEM-X Science Service System web interface established by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) is an online tool to help organizing the science community of the TanDEM-X mission. It serves as an interface between the TanDEM-X Science Coordinator and the science user and provides the standardized online templates for the submission and evaluation of scientific proposals. In addition it provides an online web form for the acquisition request of bistatic data takes of the TanDEM-X mission.

This document guides the science user through the different steps of the web interface and thus the preparation and submission of scientific proposal during the TanDEM-X mission.

The document is structured as follows:

Chapter 1 introduces the purpose and structure of the document.

Chapter 2 contains references to prepare this document.

Chapter 3 lists abbreviations.

Chapter 4 gives an introduction to the TanDEM-X Science Service System web interface and provides important contact addresses. An overview allows a quick insight into the main steps of the scientific proposal procedure.

Chapter 5 provides detailed information about the different sections of the online proposal template.

Chapter 6 gives a description of the integrated web form of the proposal interface to request bistatic data acquisitions of the TanDEM-X mission for scientific use.

Chapter 7 gives technical advises for the use of the proposal interface.

The current version of the document excludes requests for DEM data products, as they become only available at a later mission phase. Later versions of the TanDEM-X Science Service System web interface and this document will include options to request for scientific DEM products.

1.2 Scope This document is dedicated to all science users of the TanDEM-X mission and as such it is accessible to the public.




2 References

2.1 Applicable References

The following documents are fully applicable together with this document. Document ID Document Title Issue

[AD 1] TD-PD-PL-0069 TanDEM-X Science Plan 1.0

2.2 Reference Documents

The following documents, though not formally part of this document, amplify or clarify its content. Document ID Document Title Issue

[RD 1] TX-GS-DD-3302 TerraSAR-X Ground Segment: Basic Product Specification Document 1.6




3 Terms, Definitions and Abbreviations

3.1 Terms and Definitions Term Definition

None None

3.2 Abbreviations Abbreviation Meaning

DEM Digital Elevation Model

EOWEB Earth Observation WEB Interface

PI Principal Investigator

TanDEM-X TerraSAR-X add-on for Digital Elevation Measurements




4 The TanDEM-X Science Service System Web Interface

4.1 Introduction to the TanDEM-X Science Service System The German Aerospace Center (DLR) is responsible for the processing and distribution of the data products of the TanDEM-X mission intended for scientific use. The TanDEM-X Science Service Segment, established by the DLR, provides the infrastructure to organize the ordering and delivery of the data, and to coordinate the science community of the TanDEM-X mission. The TanDEM-X Science Service System web interface is an online tool for the submission and evaluation of scientific proposals, and an important communication platform for the Science User, the TanDEM-X Science Coordinator, and internal and external experts in the field of SAR and SAR interferometry. Basic information about the TanDEM-X Science Service Segment can be found in [AD 1].

The main parts of the Science Service Segment of the TanDEM-X mission are basically the same as for the TerraSAR-X mission. The EOWEB is another important web interface, known from the TerraSAR-X mission that organizes the ordering and delivery of the scientific data. In opposite to the TerraSAR-X mission the request for TanDEM-X future data acquisitions will not be part of the EOWEB interface. Instead the basic online tools for this task were integrated in the Science Service System web interface and became an essential part of the proposal procedures. The reason for this lies in the fact, that the planning within the different components of the ground segment for those science data takes needs additional planning effort in respect to the systematic DEM acquisitions, and the TerraSAR-X mission. Thus, those acquisition requests need additional evaluation and novel planning procedures.

Figure 4.1: The welcome page of the TanDEM-X Science Service System (http://tandemx-science.dlr.de). The left side menu enables the basic registration of new users (‘Basic User Registration, Investigators’s Registration’), the login of registered users, and the access of registered investigators to their personal proposal page (‘Registered User Access, Investigator’); Links to important documents and web resources are provided as well.




The DLR invites researches throughout the world to participate in the utilization of TanDEM-X data and to become a Principal Investigator (PI) of the TanDEM-X mission.

For the submission of a scientific proposal the following general rules apply:

During the lifetime of the mission dedicated calls, called Announcement of Opportunity (AO) addressing the specific scientific objectives and data products of the TanDEM-X mission will be launched. The submission of proposals for dedicated AOs will be possible for a time period with respect to a due date.

The submission of a general proposal not connected to an AO will be possible during the whole mission, and will be enabled after the Commissioning Phase, approximately six months after launch of the TanDEM-X satellite. The range of scientific data products the PI can apply for will grow gradually with the progression of the mission.

The scientific proposals must be submitted electronically by the web forms provided by the TanDEM-X Science Service System, if no other submission alternative is announced. Mailed or emailed proposals will be not accepted.

The language of the proposals must be English.

The interested scientists may form a consortium. For each proposal the main responsible contact person is (the PI). All the team members, the Co-Investigators (Co-Is) of the proposals, must be listed as well.

4.2 Access to the TanDEM-X Science Service System The TanDEM-X Science Service System Web Interface start page is available at:

http://tandemx-science.dlr.de And, if a secure (encrypted) connection is desired additionally at: https://tandemx-science.dlr.de

The TanDEM-X science coordinator and the science coordination team is available via email: [email protected]

Before you send an email please check out if your question may be answered by this manual or the links to the documents provided on the start page of the TanDEM-X Science Service System.

The EOWEB for catalogue ordering of the data access is available at:

http://www.eoweb.de

For the exclusive commercial distribution of TanDEM-X data the Infoterra GmbH, Friedrichshafen, Germany, a subsidiary of EADS-Astrium, is responsible. A value adding and commercial customer service of TanDEM-X products is offered by the Infoterra GmbH as well. The contact to Infoterra’s customer services is available at:

http://www.infoterra.de




4.3 Access to TerraSAR-X Data for Scientific Use The TanDEM-X Science Service System is exclusively designed to apply for the scientific exploitation of TanDEM-X data. TanDEM-X data is acquired in a cooperative acquisition mode of both, the TerraSAR-X and the TanDEM-X satellite.

The application for scientific TerraSAR-X data, in addition or exclusively, is not possible via the TanDEM-X Science Service System interface. Proposals for the scientific use of TerraSAR-X data products must be separately submitted at the TerraSAR-X Science Service System:

http://sss.terrasar-x.dlr.de

The evaluation process for TerraSAR-X proposals is separated from the TanDEM-X proposal evaluation procedure.

4.4 Summary of the Proposal Submission Procedures This section gives a short overview about all necessary steps of the proposal submission procedure in the TanDEM-X Science Web Interface. Subsequently, all steps are described in more detail in the following chapters.

Basic User Registration: The PI selects a user name, password, and a valid email address in the side menu: ‘Basic User Registration Investigators Registration’.

Email Reception: The PI receives an automated email from the TanDEM-X Science Service System with a link to a verification page.

User Verification: Validation of the PI´s credentials. For this, the PI has to follow the link in the received email or copy and paste the link address in the browser address field, respectively. Login with user name and password finalizes the registration.

First User Login: After successful user verification, the PI can login at the TanDEM-X Science Service System start page. After login, the personal proposal submission page can be accessed at the side menu ‘Registered User Access’ via the link ‘Investigator’. At the first visit of this page, the investigator is asked to specify personal contact details and the contact details of his authority. These contact data, as well as the password may be changed by the investigator at any time, using the options of the left side menu. These menu options also allow the creation and editing of scientific proposals.

Proposal Creation: A new proposal may be created following the link ‘Create New Proposal’ provided on the left side menu of the personal proposal page.

Proposal Entering & Editing: Proposals are submitted online. The text fields are limited to a certain number of characters, as specified at each field. The proposal must be written in English as external reviewers come from different countries. One or even more acquisition requests for TanDEM-X data takes are possible. A web form is integrated for the request of bistatic TanDEM-X acquisitions. The proposal can be edited in a single session, or intermittently.

Proposal Submission: Following the complete editing of the proposal as specified before, the PI can submit the proposal at the last page of the editing interface. After submission, no changes to the proposal are possible. For proposals following the schedule of an AO a due date is given, and only proposals submitted in due time will be considered in the evaluation procedure. In contrast can general proposals be submitted during the whole lifetime of the mission and have no due date for submission.




Proposal Evaluation & Tracking: After submission, the proposal will be evaluated by internal and external reviewers, following an eligibility check by the science coordinator, to find out if the proposals are suitable for TanDEM-X, and if the proposal web forms are filled in completely and in the requested way. During the evaluation process, the status of the proposal can be tracked in a table of the personal web page area. The status is available in the same table row, which lists the proposal.

Proposal Approval: The TanDEM-X science coordinator will inform all proposers after completion about the result of the selection process. In case a modification of the proposal is necessary, the science coordinator may allow a re-editing of the proposal and a second evaluation procedure will be initialised.

Provision of a Signed License Agreement & Funding Declaration: With a positive judgement and a finally approved proposal the PI is obligated to send a signed license agreement and a signed funding declaration to the science coordinator. Further, the provision of an identity confirmation (e.g. copy of passport, identity card) is required.

Maintain a List of Authorized Users: The PI has the possibility to maintain a list of all persons that will be given access to the data in addition to the PI and the Co-Is. The list is accessible on the personal proposal page of the PI, from the table, which lists the proposals. The list is accessible and editable at any time throughout the lifetime of the proposal. The PI is obliged to maintain this list.

EOWEB Account Release: Successful proposers receive an email or fax from the science coordinator with the user credentials of the EOWEB account and the quota of data allocated to the proposal, if the requested documents for Provision of a Signed License Agreement & Funding Declaration are correct. The PI may then login at EOWEB, maintain the contact details, or track the acquisition requests he entered in the proposal submission interface, or order archived data from the catalogue collection. A change of the initial password at EOWEB after first login is required.

Data Ordering and Download: Data ordered at EOWEB can be downloaded on a FTP server. The delivery of data to the ftp pick-up point is communicated via automated email.

Report Submission: The PI has to document the progress of the proposed research work with a progress report every half a year, and with a final report, following the defined schedule. An online submission form is available on the personal proposal page.




5 Detailed Proposal Submission Procedures

5.1 Basic User Registration The basic registration procedure follows a verification process to establish a valid personal account for the user. The initial registration is available at the left part of the start page menu ‘Basic User Registration´ and ‘Investigator Registration’. Following the link ‘Register’, the user is asked for following registration details:

user name (minimum length 4, maximum length 8 characters) valid email address password (min length 6, maximum length 10 characters) password (retype)

The submission of the entered data is triggered by the ‘Enter’ button. With the submission of the user data a registration to the TanDEM-X Science Service System data base takes place. An automated email is generated by the system and sent to the email provided; a success message is displayed. A registration failure may have one or a combination of the following reasons:

The user name exceeds the limits of the minimum or maximum length The password exceeds the limits of the minimum or maximum length The user name has already been registered by another user, or by the same user.

In this case an error message is displayed, the user should follow the instructions and provide, if needed, a new user name, and a new password, with respect to the limitations listed above. The user should remember the user name and the password for the following steps. The registration email may take some minutes to be sent by the system. In the meantime the user should not try to login at the home page. If the email reception fails, the user should check first, if the email account is valid. Otherwise the science coordinator may be contacted for help. After email reception, the user should follow the link in the email to validate the account. Depending on the browser, and email program settings, it may be necessary to copy the link address (e.g. right mouse click and the option ‘copy link address’ from the context menu) and to paste it separately to the address field of the browser. The email link directs to a verification page. The user should provide the user name and the password in the web form fields and press the ‘enter’ button for submission. In case of a successful verification, the page shows a success message, and the verification page should be closed. If wrong login data is entered, an error message will be displayed. A retry with correct login data is necessary. In case of a complete failure of the verification procedure, the basic registration as described above needs to be followed again. In such a case a combination of a new user name and a password is required.

5.2 First User Login After the successful verification procedure, the registered user is able to login at the home page of the TanDEM-X Science System. The login form fields are provided in the left side menu of the start page. A successful login is documented by the fact, that instead of the login form fields a string ‘Logged in as:




<your user name>’ is displayed. If the login information is incorrect, an error message is displayed. In that case the user is asked to retry with a correct user name and password. There is a timeout of several seconds following a login failure. A logout can be achieved by pressing the ‘logout’ link. The personal proposal page that belongs to the PI can be accessed from the left side menu link ‘Registered User Access, Investigator’. The proposal page is the starting point for the creation and editing of a proposal. The change of the password and the maintenance of contact details can be achieved here using the links from the left side menu of that page. With the first entering of the proposal page the PI is asked to provide his/her contact details. All of the following fields are mandatory and need a valid input:

Affiliation: Enter the company or institute you belong to Department: Enter the department you belong to or N/A if not applicable Title: Enter academic title or Mr./Mrs, if not applicable Last Name: Enter your last name First Name: Enter your first name Street & No: Enter your Street and postal no of your address; do not enter a PO box. Postal Code: Enter postal code or N/A if not applicable for your country. City: Enter the city name Country: Select a country from the option list Phone: Enter your telephone number Fax: Enter your fax number Citizenship: Select a country from the option list Scientific Field: Enter a short description of your scientific field or your scientific expertise

(e.g. Remote Sensing; Oceanography; Glaciology) If each field of the contact detail is filled-in, the selection of the ‘enter’ button saves the form entries to the data base. In a second step the PI is asked for the contact details of his/her authority. This may be the PIs affiliation’s head, the department or team leader. The authority address may deviate from the personal contact details for some reasons. All fields are mandatory:

Affiliation: Enter the company or institute your authority belongs to Department: Enter the department of your authority you belong to or N/A if not applicable Title: Enter the academic title of your authority or Mr./Mrs, if not applicable Last Name: Enter the last name of your authority First Name: Enter the first name of your authority Street & No: Enter the street name and postal number of your authority’s address; do not

enter a PO box. Postal Code: Enter postal code or N/A if not applicable for your authority’s postal address. City: Enter the city name of your authority Country: Select a country from the option list of your authority Phone: Enter your authority’s telephone number Fax: Enter your authority’s fax number Citizenship: Select a country from the option list

The contact information can be maintained at any time using the link ‘Maintain Contact Details’ on the left side menu of the personal proposal page.




5.3 Proposal Creation The creation of a new proposal can be released by the selection of the link ‘Create New Proposal’ from the left side menu of the personal proposal page. A unique proposal ID is created and a new page will appear where the science user has to fill-in several web form elements asking for different aspects of the scientific proposal. All the fields need to be filled-in before the proposal may be submitted to the science coordinator. The ID, the title, and the name of the PI and the executive summary of all approved (non-confidential) proposals will be published within the TanDEM-X science system web interface. A link to that page, which lists all approved proposals in a table, will be accessible from the start page. For confidential proposals the display of the executive summary will be disabled.

5.4 Proposal Entering & Submission The following section will guide through the single parts of the web form, implemented for the entering and submission of proposals. All the parts of the web form need to be filled-in before the proposal is accepted for submission. After the final submission the proposal is set to a read-only mode, and an editing is disabled. From that point also the deleting of a data take request is not possible any more. If a cancelation of a data take request is needed please contact the science coordinator immediately for help. The provision of a print version of each single page of the proposal can be triggered by selecting the ‘Print’ button placed on the bottom part of each page.

5.4.1 Cover Page

The following text fields need to be filled-in:

Title of the Proposal: The title of an approved proposal will be published on the TanDEM-X science service system homepage

Application Domain: The option list offers a pre-selection of application domains applicable to the Announcement of Opportunity (AO). The user should select the primary topic he/she is intended to focus on, although the research work may cover additional topics presented in the list.

Test Site Description: A short geographic description of the planned test sites should be noted here. In addition, but not necessary, test sites may be given by an Upper Left and a Lower Right corner. In the latter case a geodetic coordinate notation in decimal degree with respect to the WGS84 should be used, and projected coordinates should be avoided.

5.4.2 General Proposal Description

The following text fields need input:

Team Members: A web form to add or edit the contact details of Co-Investigators that build up the proposal team. Co-Investigators are allowed to order or to receive data on behalf of the Principal Investigator. All the fields, covering the contact details of the team member are mandatory and should be filled-in. The fields are the same as for the contact details of the PI:

Affiliation: Enter the company or institute the team member belongs to




Department: Enter the department the team member belongs to or N/A if not applicable Title: Enter academic title of the team member or Mr./Mrs, if not applicable Last Name: Enter the last name of the team member First Name: Enter the first name of the team member Street & No: Enter the street and postal no of the team member’s address; do not enter a

PO box number. Postal Code: Enter postal code or N/A if not applicable for the team member’s country. City: Enter the city name Country: Select a country from the option list Phone: Enter the telephone number of the team member Fax: Enter the fax number of the team member Citizenship: Select a country from the option list Scientific Field: Enter a short description of the scientific field or the scientific expertise of

the team member (e.g. Remote Sensing; Oceanography; Glaciology). Experience of the Team: A short description of the expertise of the PI and the members of the

research team (Co-Is) should be given with emphasis on the application domain and the objectives of the AO.

Team Organisation: A short description about the organisation of the team in particular about the data exchange and share of information and results should be given.

Innovative Character: The relevance of the research work with respect to the application domain should be shortly described, and, if applicable, the innovative character of the proposed methods.

Contribution to the Mission Objectives: The scientific contribution to the AO should be demonstrated here. The scientific use of the requested data should be emphasized.

Schedule: The schedule and phases of the project work must be outlined, including the time frame for presenting progress and final reports.

Executive Summary: A short summary of intended research work, its highlights and milestones should be given in this section. The executive summary will be published on the TanDEM-X science service system homepage for all non-confidential proposals.

Detailed Project Description: This section is the main part of the proposal. The PI should clearly outline the scientific approach and methods, and define success criteria of the proposed research work: Anticipated results and deliverables of the investigation Detailed plan of the investigation, including a description of the milestones and associated

deliverables, and planned publications of the result. Justifications for the amount and type of requested data products. Information about the funding of the research work for the PI and Co-I.

Confidentiality: Here a confidentiality flag can be set for the proposal. Setting the confidentiality flag to ‘yes’ will suppress the publication of the Executive Summary of the proposal. Only the ID, the title of the proposal, as well as the name of the PI is published.

Specific Requirements: If for the proposal confidentiality is needed, then it should be justified here. Specific acquisition requirements, e.g. due to the need of ground measurement campaigns, the synergistic use with other data sources, etc. can be announced too.

5.4.3 Data Requirements In this section the PI can specify the data products he intends to use. For the TanDEM-X acquisition request a detailed web form is provided. The work flow and an explanation of the single web form elements are provided in Chapter 6. The provision of a similar web form for the request of the DEM




products, and a detailed description in this document will be provided in a later mission phase, when those products become available.

5.4.4 Proposal Summary & Submit This is the final page of the proposal entering web form. On this page all single parts of the text entries edited by the proposer are displayed. The data take requests are listed as well. The listed content is read-only. If the content needs further editing, the user may return to the single page of the content in question. The final submission of the proposal is triggered by the selection of the ‘Submit’ button on the bottom area of this page. A pop-up window needs an ‘OK’.

5.5 Proposal Tracking After the proposal has been finally submitted to the system, the editing option is disabled. The PI may re-visit the personal proposal page at any time after login from the entry page, all proposals related to his login credentials are further listed in a table. A read access to the submitted proposal is given by a table field holding the unique proposal ID, which provides a link to the full version of the proposal. In a separate table field the status of the proposal may also be tracked. The following flags for the proposal are foreseen:

Entered: The proposal has been initiated by the PI and may be edited

Submitted: The proposal has been submitted to the system for the approval procedure. The proposal can be accessed in a read-only mode

Handed-Over: The proposal has been handed-over by the science coordinator to the evaluators

Evaluated: The proposal has been evaluated and commented by the evaluator

Approved: The proposal has been evaluated and has been finally approved by the science coordinator. The PI is asked via email or fax to provide a signed license agreement and a declaration of funding. The license agreement may be downloaded from the start page.

Licensed: A valid license agreement and a declaration of funding provided by the PI have been accepted by the Science Coordinator, but the final release of an EOWEB account is still pending.

Released (EOWEB): This is the final status of the proposal approval. An EOWEB account has been initiated by the Science Coordinator.

Finished: The research work is finished and the final report is approved by the science coordinator.

Rejected: The proposal is rejected by the science coordinator

A full list of approved proposals can be accessed from the left side menu of the start page. Clicking the proposal ID field in the table the proposal team composition and a short summary of the planned research work of the selected proposal is reported. Setting the confidentiality flag to ‘yes’ during the proposal entering procedure the PI can suppress the publication of the executive summary of the proposal. The confidentiality of the proposal needs to be explained in the proposal text.

With the final proposal status ‘released’ the approval procedure is finalised. The PI receives an email from the science coordinator with the final judgement, the allocated quota, and the initial EOWEB account. Having these user credentials in hand the PI may login at the EOWEB interface to order data from the catalogue, or to track the status of data acquisition requests. At the first session in the EOWEB the PI is advised to change the initial login password. Within EOWEB the PI should also maintain the contact details, the delivery and billing address.




5.6 Proposal Evaluation and Approval With the final submission the evaluation process is initialised. The science coordinator delegates the proposal to the evaluators, the status of the proposal is set to ‘handed-over’. The web forms for the evaluation are provided by the TanDEM-X Science Service System as well. For the finalisation of the evaluation process the evaluator has to submit the comments and the final judgement to the science coordinator. If the proposal needs minor or major improvements after the first review, the science coordinator may return the comments to the PI; in the latter case the status will be set again to ‘entered’ and the PI may incorporate the proposed improvements. If no further improvement is needed the status of the proposal is set to ‘approved’ and the proposal is accepted. The PI will receive an email notice about this status update. In order to get an EOWEB account, the PI is obliged to send back two important documents, and in addition an identity confirmation (e.g. copy of passport, identity card) to the science coordinator. The two documents are:

A signed TanDEM-X license agreement

A signed funding allocation

A list of authorized users that will have access to the data in addition to the PI and the Co-PIs needs to be maintained by the PI, too. The list can be accessed online by a link provided in the table listing the proposals of PIs’ personal proposal page. The list of authorized users is accessible and editable throughout the lifetime of the proposal.

5.7 Data Ordering and Data Take Request Tracking With the EOWEB account in hand the status of the acquisition request for the TanDEM-X data takes specified in the proposal can be tracked within the EOWEB web interface. Finally acquired data takes are listed in the EOWEB catalogue and need to be ordered by the PI in the EOWEB. The EOWEB provides also the ordering interfaces for all other products for scientific use of the TanDEM-X mission. The data delivery is organized by a secure FTP procedure.

5.8 Responsibilities of the PI The PI is also advised to:

Document and archive the data order history

Inform the DLR, in case the status ‘scientific use’ is changed

Inform the DLR about changes of the composition of the PI’s team

Maintain online a list of authorized users the PI or the Co-PIs want to give in addition access to the data




6 Acquisition Request for Bistatic TanDEM-X Data In this chapter the web form and its elements for the acquisition request of bistatic TanDEM-X data with respect to the feasible acquisition modes of the TanDEM-X mission are explained. The web form is accessible from the Data Requirements page of the proposal interface. The page also comprises a personal list of data takes for the PI as a table (figure 6.1).

Figure 6.1: Data Requirements page. The page lists all TanDEM-X data take requests in a table. New requests can be added to the table by selecting the ‘Add Data Take Request’ button at the bottom area of the table. The request may be inspected, printed, renamed, or deleted using the links on top of each row. A detailed editing is not possible, because of the complex interdependency of the data take parameters. With the final submission of the proposal, the acquisition requests will be evaluated for their feasibility. New data take requests can be added to the list (figure 6.1) by means of a separate web form that can be accessed selecting the button ‘Add Data Take Request’. New data takes may be added to the list, deleted and renamed as long as the proposal is not submitted. A detailed editing of the listed data takes with exception of the name is not possible because of the complexity and interdependency of the different imaging parameters. The table lists for each single data take in a separate row the settings and selection criteria the user has chosen in the interactive web form to specify the imaging geometry and other constraints of each individual data take. The most important parameters (relative orbit, relative




cycle etc.) of the data take returned by the system are listed as well. It is important to note, that an exact date of the acquisition is not listed, because it is later determined by an iterative procedure in the ground segment as a part of the evaluation procedure. The status of requested data takes for a finally approved and released proposal can be tracked in the EOWEB interface including the planned acquisition time and date. For each listed data take the following options are available using the links provided on top of each table row entry:

View Map: View the footprint polygon of the requested data take on a map Print: Opens a print preview with the list of important parameters KML: Enables the download of a KML file for inspection in GoogleTM Earth Delete: Delete the data take from the list Rename: Rename the data take

A detailed procedure for requesting DEM data and related products will be published later in the following version of this document.

6.1 General Workflow The basic work flow for the web form (figure 6.2 & 6.3) is shortly described in the following:

Specification of a center coordinate of the test site on the map canvas, simply by dragging the red placemark icon on the map canvas, or use the search text field and related buttons for this task. Give the data take a name.

Specification of the basic imaging geometry and instrument settings of the data take (e.g. imaging mode, interferometric mode etc.) by means of the option list and text fields to the right of the map. The web form elements need to be checked in descending order, due to internal interdependencies. This work flow is ensured by the fact, that the fields are blocked, as long as the predecessor field is not specified. In case the user changes earlier fields after proceeding with the option list, the later values may be reset to a system start value. This may also induce the loss of some settings as well as the footprint preview, displayed in the map area and listed in the table below the interactive map.

The ‘Compute Footprint’ button allows a footprint polygon preview of the data take. Important parameters of the returned footprint are listed in a table below the map area

Toggle from a table between the polygon footprints returned by the software, and visualize them as overlays on the map using the check boxes.

Selection of at least one or more data takes from the table. It is important to note, that only one data take will be executed, and the planning system automatically selects the optimal constellation.

Specification of some other important constraints (baselines, temporal preferences, multiple data takes) of the data take, by means of the web form elements placed below the table.

Submissions of the data take requests to the data base; the data take request page closes and the data take request is appended to the list on the Data Requirement page. Here it may be inspected, renamed, or deleted, as long as the proposal is not finally submitted

Instead of submitting the data take request, the Data Take Request Page can be left by selecting the ‘Cancel’ button




Figure 6.2.: The TanDEM-X Data Take Request Page from the start as it opens. The web form elements to the right of the map canvas are used to specify individual data take parameters. The selection of the ‘Compute Footprint’ button triggers the calculation of a footprint polygon preview of feasible imaging configurations that may be inspected as map overlays. The ‘Reset’ button may be used to set all web form elements to their system start value. The ‘Help’ button opens a help manual. The ‘Cancel’ button can be used to leave the page without any action or data base storage. (The interactive map is powered by the GoogleTM Maps API).




Figure 6.3: The TanDEM-X Data Take Request Page with footprint overlays and table. Map overlays can be controlled using the check boxes in the first table column. At least one data take needs to be checked, before the selection of the button ‘Submit Data Take Request’ will trigger the storage of the data take request to the data base. The data take request will be added to the table list on the Data Requirements page and may be inspected, renamed, and deleted as long as the proposal is not submitted for evaluation. (The interactive map is powered by the GoogleTM Maps API). In the following section all the web form elements of the data take request page relevant for the submission of a TanDEM-X acquisition request are explained.




6.2 Interactive Map The map element (figure 6.4) is used to define a location for an individual test site, to visualize its coordinate by a placemark icon, and to present map overlays of footprint polygons of a requested data take. Interactivity is given by the red placemark icon, the control elements placed below, and by the search text field on top of the map area.

Figure 6.4: Interactive map and its control elements. The red placemark icon may be dragged to match an individual geographic position. The search form field on top of the map and the buttons below can be used to find a location and to pin the red placemark icon to its geographic position. The ‘Set Placemark’ button pins the placemark to the actual map centre. (The interactive map is powered by the Google TM Maps API). Navigation in the map area with the mouse is given by the following commands:

1. Right double-click = zoom-out 2. Left double-click = zoom-in 3. Mouse wheel actions = zoom-in or zoom-out 4. Left click in the map area & hold & drag = move the map area 5. Left click on a placemark icon & hold & drag = modifies and updates the test site center

coordinate. The button on top of the map canvas can be used to toggle between different visualisation options:

Map, offers a standard map mode




Satellite, offers a satellite/aerial imagery mode Hybrid, offers a combined satellite/aerial imagery view mode with an overlay of the standard

map view Terrain, offers a map mode with hachure for shading and denoting the surface topography Earth, 3D globe view, known from GoogleTM Earth.

The last option ‘Earth’ represents a 3D-view on the globe, as known from the desktop version of Google TM Earth. This option will only be given for choice if the operating system and browser supports this map mode; a download and an installation procedure (with administrator rights) of a browser plug-in are required. It is important to note, that the installation of the Earth browser plug-in is neither mandatory, nor does it affect the functionality of the data take request procedure in any kind. It may provide an additional help, to support the selection of a footprint in difficult (e.g. mountainous) terrain or at high latitudes, where the Mercator projection of the 2D map view fails to display a map overlay. Please note, that the placemark icon may not be dragged in the ‘Earth’ mode. The ‘Earth’ Mode may not work with operating system emulator software (e.g. VM ware).

6.3 Data Take Name A name for the desired data take has to be specified first. There are no special rules for the name itself, but it is strongly recommended to use the ASCII characters [a-z, A-Z], digits (0-9) the ‘-‘ (hyphen), and ‘_’ (the underscore) only. The name of the data take may be edited also afterwards from the table, that lists the acquisition requests on the Data Requirement Page. The name must be unique for the proposal.

6.4 Center Coordinate First a center coordinate for the user specific test site has to be specified for each acquisition. A start coordinate value is given by the system, located at the German Aerospace Center in Oberpfaffenhofen, the home of the TanDEM-X ground segment. The actual coordinate longitude and latitude value is displayed on the right of the page within the read-only text field ‘Center Coordinate’. The center coordinate is used by the program to return satellite footprints, matching this coordinate. The center coordinate position, marked by a placemark symbol, may be edited interactively in the map area, or by the search text field on top of the map area, or by the edit symbols below the map area. The center coordinate is editable until the user requests the footprint preview by pressing the ‘Compute Footprint’ button. There are several possibilities to get an individual location and a new center coordinate:

1. Using the Search Field: A location name, a more detailed address or a coordinate may be entered in the text area placed above the map area. The general functionality is similar to that provided by the GoogleTM Maps service, but with a reduced functionality: Neither a detailed error message, nor a list of alternatives for a given address is provided, if a location cannot be precisely and doubtless be returned. After entering a search string in the search field, the ‘Find and Set Placemark’ button can be selected to fix the center coordinate to this position and to mark it with a placemark icon in one step. Alternatively, the ‘Find’ button can be used to change the location without fixing the position; selecting afterwards the ‘Set Placemark’ button fixes the placemark to that position. The read-only text field ‘Center Coordinate’ on the right of the map area will then display the exact position in geodetic coordinates (latitude, longitude) in decimal degree. In principle two options are available:




a. Address String: An address may be: ‘Munich’, or more detailed ‘Munich, Marienplatz’. In most cases the precision reaches street number level.

b. Geodetic Coordinate: If a precise position is needed, a geodetic coordinate may be entered by a latitude value followed by a longitude value in decimal degree separated by a comma. An example would be ‘48.138, 11.576’, and would return the ‘Marienplatz’ in Munich. Note: only the decimal degree format will give that precise position. A coordinate, given as string in DMS form, e.g. 45°34'56'' N, 34°22'44'' E will work as well, but a new coordinate of a known location (a village, a road etc.) in the vicinity of that specific point, that is assumed to match to this position may be returned instead; this may lead to a massive deviation from the intended position; the result is similar to the result returned by an address string search described above.

2. Manually: The position of the placemark icon may be edited manually by dragging the placemark icon on the map canvas; this manual adjustment is available until the ‘Compute Footprint’ button is selected, and it will be locked, if a footprint preview has been returned. The user may also move throughout the map area, and by means of the button ‘Set Placemark’ the current placemark is moved to the center of the actual map view.

6.5 Imaging Mode The main imaging mode for experimental science data take is the StripMap mode including single and dual polarisation configurations (see also Chapter 6.7). Other imaging modes may be added during the TanDEM-X mission, when the ground segment processing chain can assure the delivery of validated products.

6.6 Interferometric Mode Two interferometric modes are given for choice, the ‘Bistatic’ and the ‘Alternating Bistatic’ mode. In case of the bistatic mode, one satellite transmits the radar pulse and the two satellites receive simultaneously. As consequence the bistatic channel(s) are exclusively acquired by one satellite and the monostatic channel(s) exclusively by the other satellite. The bistatic mode is the operational mode for the DEM acquisition. In case of the alternating bistatic configuration, the transmitter is switched between both satellites on a pulse-to-pulse basis. The signal from the ground is then received on both satellites simultaneously, whereas the monostatic and bistatic channels are thus acquired on both satellites, giving some new opportunities to combine the images, e.g. to form two cross track interferograms using a monostatic and a bistatic image, or to combine the monostatic channels.

6.7 Polarisation Channels The radar instrument of the TanDEM-X satellite is capable to acquire images in a single or in dual polarisation mode. Dual means toggling the antenna polarisation in time for transmit and/or receive. Taking the cooperative mode of both satellites into account, an abundance of new polarisation channel combinations is possible. As a result, 2 or 4 image channels can be acquired. The channel combinations given for choice represent a selection. It is important to note, that on the left side of the hyphen the monostatic, and on the right side the bistatic channels, are listed. So, given the Polarisation Channel string e.g. ‘HH VV – HH VV’ means that the 2 monostatic channels are ‘HH’ & ‘VV’ polarised and the 2 bistatic channels are ‘HH’ & ‘VV’ polarised. The global DEM is acquired in a single polarisation mode in a bistatic configuration with one monostatic ‘VV’ and one bistatic ‘VV’ polarisation




channel. Depending on the interferometric mode are, in case of the normal bistatic configuration, the monostatic channels exclusively acquired by one satellite and in case of the alternating bistatic configuration by both satellites. From the selected polarisation channel the instrument settings are reported in 6 read-only text fields:

Polarisation Mode Sat Transmit Polarisation Mode Sat Receive Polarisation Sat Transmit Master Polarisation Sat Transmit Slave (for Alternating Polarisation only) Polarisation Sat Receive Master Polarisation Sat Receive Slave

The terms ‘Master’ and ‘Slave’ are a DLR internal convention, that points out, that for the bistatic mode one satellite is the passive, and the other the active one. . For the alternating bistatic mode the master is the satellite, who transmits the first pulse.

6.8 Pass Direction During the first and the second year of the mission, DEM data takes are acquired for the Northern hemisphere in ascending orbits, and for the Southern hemisphere in descending orbits. For additional acquisitions of difficult terrain (e.g. mountains) in the beginning of the third year, this configuration is reversed (table 6.1).

Mission Time Pass direction for DEM acquisitions Northern hemisphere

Pass direction for DEM acquisitions Southern hemisphere

First & second year ascending descending

Third year (difficult terrain) descending ascending

Table 6.1: Pass direction for global DEM acquisitions, also recommended for scientific data takes

Science data takes may be in principle acquired in both pass directions, but extended exclusion zones exist along the orbit of the satellites for the pass direction not being used for the DEM acquisition. In the exclusion zones the transmission by one of the SAR antennae will be disabled during the close formation mission phases, in order to prevent damage risks induced by illumination of one by the other satellite. The exclusion zones are located along the descending orbits of the Northern hemisphere and along the ascending orbits of the Southern hemisphere for the first and second year of the global DEM acquisition (reversed for the third year). Therefore acquisitions in pass directions not being used for the DEM acquisition can typically not be performed in the alternating bistatic mode and in addition only small perpendicular cross track baselines are available here. The exact extension of the exclusion zones varies from one mission phase to the other due to the actual helix parameters.

The limitations described above should be considered by the science user, and it is recommended to refrain from a data take request in alternating bistatic mode whenever possible for the critical orbit configurations with the exclusion zones mentioned above, to avoid a rejection of the request. For the pass direction 3 options are:




Descending Ascending Any

6.9 Looking Direction The operational looking direction of the two satellites is to the right. When the DEM acquisition has been finished, the looking direction may also be allowed to be left looking for science data takes. However, left looking acquisitions are limited by power aspects as here the solar panels look away from the sun. Hence, only a very limited number of left-looking acquisitions can be performed. This reduces the chance for the desired acquisition to be executed. A special case in this context is the acquisitions in the central part of Antarctica (~below –80°). Here, no right looking acquisitions are possible due to the satellites orbits. Hence, this area should be avoided as far as possible.

6.10 Data Take Length [km] The data take length in km has to be specified in this text field. The minimum value is 20 km and the maximum value is 200 km. The value must be given as integer. Shorter or longer data take values are rejected.

6.11 Beam Settings With this group of web form elements a subset of potential beams can be pre-selected. Using the minimum and maximum incidence angle option list limits the incidence angle range of the returned beams. The beam list offers either the conventional StripMap beams, known from the TerraSAR-X mission offering compatibility to the TerraSAR-X beams, or TanDEM-X beams, designed for the special needs of the TanDEM-X mission towards the global DEM acquisition. Special TanDEM-X beams for high latitudes of Antarctica data takes can be selected as well, but should be used for rare use cases only. Information about the TerraSAR-X StripMap beams and their performance range can be found in [RD1]. The TanDEM-X beams are similar to the StripMap beams, but have slightly different swath widths. These beams are optimised for the Global DEM acquisitions with overlapping swaths. For single DEM acquisitions with a single non-overlapping swath, the StripMap beams provide a better and more homogenous performance across the swath, and are recommended. TanDEM-X beams are exclusively available for single polarisation configurations. The following table (table 6.2) lists the TanDEM-X beams and their incidence angle range. Beam ID Minimum Incidence Angle [deg] Maximum Incidence Angle [deg]

tanDEM_a1_010 29.81 32.66

tanDEM_a1_020 32.30 35.09




tanDEM_a1_030 34.75 37.44

tanDEM_a1_040 37.11 39.65

tanDEM_a1_050 39.34 41.76

tanDEM_a1_060 41.47 43.70

tanDEM_a1_070 43.42 45.52

tanDEM_a1_080 45.26 47.14

tanDEM_a1_090 46.89 48.48

tanDEM_a1_antarctica1 60.55 61.52


tanDEM_a2_005 28.38 31.27

tanDEM_a2_015 30.90 33.72

tanDEM_a2_025 33.36 36.08

tanDEM_a2_035 35.74 38.34

tanDEM_a2_045 38.03 40.49

tanDEM_a2_055 40.19 42.51

tanDEM_a2_065 42.22 44.38

tanDEM_a2_075 44.11 46.08

tanDEM_a2_085 45.82 47.57


tanDEM_a2_antarctica2 60.91 61.83 Table 6.2: TanDEM-X beam IDs, and incidence angle range.

6.11.1 Minimum Incidence Angle A minimum incidence angle [deg.] has to be selected from the option list. The value ranges from 20 to 65 degrees.

6.11.2 Maximum Incidence Angle A maximum incidence angle [deg.] has to be selected from the option list. The value ranges from 20 to 65 degrees.

6.11.3 Beams The following beam options are available:

TerraSAR-X Beams: This option will return all possible TerraSAR-X (i.e. StripMap) beams for the given incidence angle range. For Dual-Pol acquisitions, the stripNear/stripFar beams are returned, whose swath width is reduced to ~15 km. TanDEM-X Beams: This option will return all possible TanDEM-X beams for the given incidence angle range. The TanDEM-X beams are optimised for the DEM acquisition and deviate from the standard StripMap beams known from the TerraSAR-X mission. Special TanDEM-X beams designed for Antarctica are also given for choice. The TanDEM-X Antarctica beams are returned, if a maximum incidence angle above 60° is specified. In general it is not recommended to select these beams -although possible- outside the core area of Antarctica, because of a degraded performance due to higher range ambiguities and a significant decrease of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at the flat incidence angle.




The Antarctica beams are specifically designed for left looking data takes of the satellites to acquire DEM data at those high latitudes of the Southern hemisphere. The TanDEM-X and TanDEM-X Antarctica beams have included an ‘a1’ or ‘a2’, marking the first and second acquisition year of the global DEM acquisition. TanDEM-X 1st Year Acquisition Beams: This option will return all TanDEM-X and TanDEM-X Antarctica beams in the given incidence angle range used for the first year of global DEM acquisition.

TanDEM-X 2nd Year Acquisition Beams: This option will return all TanDEM-X and TanDEM-X Antarctica beams in the given incidence angle range used for the second year of global DEM acquisition. Any: This option will return all TerraSAR-X, and all feasible TanDEM-X, as well as TanDEM-X Antarctica beams used for the first and the second year of the global DEM acquisition.

6.12 Perpendicular Cross Track Base Line The achievable perpendicular cross track baseline depends on several factors like the mission phase, and thus on the recent helix formation, or the latitude of the region of interest. During the first two years of global DEM acquisition, the cross track baseline increase continuously during the mission lifetime. Small and very small baselines (~200m-300m) may be available only in the first year of the global DEM acquisition.

Higher latitude test sites in combination with steep incidence angles have a better chance to be imaged with short perpendicular cross track baselines. As the helix formation may change during the mission, an exact value cannot be predicted in the moment and thus cannot been precisely selected by the user. In general the typical range of perpendicular cross track baselines for the global DEM acquisition is between 250m and 600m. Larger baseline will be achieved in dedicated mission phases and towards the end of the global DEM acquisition only; very large to huge baselines are only available after the completion of the global DEM acquisition at the end of the third mission year. The following options are available:

As small as possible (< 250m, 1st & 2nd year): The user should select this option, if the planned research work needs a very short perpendicular cross track baseline

Standard (250m - 600m, but small preferred = 1st year): This option may be selected, if for the planned application the perpendicular cross track baselines used for the global DEM acquisition are sufficient. But the planning tool will select a smaller baseline, if possible. Acquisition is likely for the first year.

Standard (250m - 600m, but large preferred = 2nd year): This option may be selected, if for the planned application the perpendicular cross track baselines used for the global DEM acquisition are sufficient. But the planning tool will select a larger baseline, if possible. Acquisition is likely for the first or second year.

Large (500m -1500m = 3rd year) Very Large (1500m - 3000m = 3rd year) Huge (> 3000m = 3rd year)




6.13 Along Track Baseline The along track baseline for a DEM data take should not exceed 1000m, to ensure a sufficient overlap of the Doppler-spectra, and to minimize temporal decorrelation. As a consequence for scientific experiments, larger baselines above 1000m are not planned for a long period of the mission, and are foreseen for special orbit manoeuvres (e.g. to enable the swap of the satellites in libration), only. A special scientific mission phase towards the end of the mission, with respect to the demands of large to very large along track baselines will be planned for that purpose and announced by a special AO, thus large along track baselines are in the moment not given for choice. Although the statistical mean of the along track baseline for DEM acquisition will be ideally zero, the value of a single data take deviates from that certain value. As a consequence, short baselines are achievable by chance during the whole global DEM acquisition. In addition, the chance to achieve short and very short along track baseline is higher at high latitudes. The following options are given for choice:

Standard (0m - 1000m, = 1st & 2nd year). This option may be selected, if the planned application has no special demands for a very short along track baseline, or e.g. the sensitivity to a certain detectable velocity range for moving objects is sufficient for an along track interferometry experiment.

Very short required (< 200m, on best effort basis, = 1st & 2nd year): Should be selected, if a very short baseline is definitely required, e.g. for along track interferometry experiments. The planning software tries to find a minimum along track baseline for the given latitude of the test site. Please note that scenes at higher latitudes have a better chance to be mapped with short along-track baselines. At a later mission phase, and with the availability of the Tandem Autonomous Formation Flying (TAFF), it is furthermore planned to perform a dedicated campaign where a pre-specified latitude range is mapped with very short along-track baselines.

6.14 Temporal Preferences For science data takes it is difficult to acquire a data take for a special date, as these data takes have to be planned around the DEM data takes, e.g. in order to avoid peak orbits. If special temporal constraints for the acquisition (e.g. vegetation period, ground measurement campaign) are needed, then a preference may be suggested here. The following options are given for choice:

None Dec. - Feb. Mar. - May June - Aug. Sept. - Nov

The data takes are planned for this period on best effort basis, but it cannot be fully assured, that they will be commanded and executed for the intended time frame. The best option may be, if such a flexibility is possible, to set the temporal preference to ‘None’.




6.15 Multiple Data Takes The acquisition can be requested as standalone data take, or as part of a time series, where each single data take is ideally acquired in consecutive cycles. The available options are:

Not Necessary (Stand-alone Data Take) 2 Consecutive Acquisitions 3 Consecutive Acquisitions As Many as Possible (but with Low Priority)

A time series cannot be planned with the same priority, as a single acquisition, and a continuous time series cannot be assured, due to possible conflicts with other users of the TerraSAR-X, or the TanDEM-X mission. Especially Central Europe and the calibration sites of the DLR surrounding Munich may become affected by order conflicts. Therefore the evaluation rules for a time series requested by the science user will be stricter. The TanDEM-X acquisition planning system will retry to plan cancelled orders for the next available cycle on best effort basis, with respect the user specified time frame, and the available baselines.

6.16 Personal Text Comments In the personal text comment field the user may note personal comments with regard to a specified data take. It is important to note, that these comments are not evaluated by the science coordinator or the TanDEM-X planning and processing chain in any kind. The text field is intended for personal use only. Confidential notes should also be strictly avoided here. If special requirements for the data take are needed, that are not covered by the web form elements provided so far, then the necessary information should NOT be provided here. Instead they should be given in the proposal text, either in the Specific Requirement section, or in the Project Description section. .




7 Technical Advises

7.1 Registration The TanDEM-X Science Service System proposal submission Interface is accessible after a basic registration of the user. Registration is possible through a link on the left hand side on the start page. The user needs to provide a user name, a password, and a valid email address. Subsequently, an automated email is sent to the provided email address, including a link to the verification page of the registration. Depending on browser settings it may be necessary to copy this link address to the address field of the internet browser. To confirm registration, user name and password need to be entered and submitted on this verification page. The user now may login at the start page for proposal entering and submission.

The user name settings may not be changed throughout the submission procedure; the password may be altered at any time. Registration and password changes are securely submitted to the web form.

7.2 Browser and Operating System Compatibility The services of the TanDEM-X Science Service System web interface are designed to work with the most common and recent operating systems (Microsoft Windows, Linux/Unix and MacOS). Recent browser software is supported, e.g. the Internet Explorer (from Version 7.x), Firefox (from Version 2.x) and Safari (from Version 3.1 and later). Other contemporary browser software (e.g. Opera, Google Chrome) are generally applicable, but are not tested in full detail. The DLR cannot guarantee that all combinations of browser software and operating systems may work in the intended manner. Operating system and browser compatibility will be supported on a best effort basis only. Technically outdated or minimalist browser software (e.g. Netscape, Linux Konqueror) may not be supported at all. The science user is requested to update operating system or browser software with respect to the recommendation described in the following. The minimum requirements of the browser settings should allow:

JavaScript

SSL 3.0 Encryption Protocol (if the encrypted https access is needed)

Cookies

Frames (most modern browser do support frames by default; only a few browser software (e.g. Opera) allow the rejection of frames explicitly

In case of a bug or an apparent implementation problem of the TanDEM-X Science Service System web interface, a short message to the science coordinator providing following information is welcome:

Short description of the encountered error or problem (a screenshot may be helpful, too)

Operating system and version number

Browser software and version number

User name and email address




7.3 Use of KML files From the Data Requirement Page the user may download KML files for the contextual visualization of requested data takes; those KML files are dedicated for the use outside the Science Service System, e.g. with GoogleTM Earth. For the use of these KML files with GoogleTM Earth the version 5 (and higher) of the software is recommended, although the use of older versions may also be possible. The KML files are also readable in any text editor.

7.4 Bookmarking It is not recommended to bookmark single pages of the proposal with the exception of the start page, as a valid session ID is needed for proposal editing. The page may be displayed correctly, but edits of the content may get lost, when a save or submit action is released. A valid session ID is received only via the login from the start page.

7.5 Session Time-out Session time out at the TanDEM-X Science Service System interface is induced, if the user does not interact with the web page for a certain time (~2h). Unsaved edits may get lost and a re-login is necessary. In order to avoid data loss it is recommended to save the edits in the text form fields from time to time by pressing the ‘Save’ button provided on each single page of the proposal entering area. A comparable ‘Save’ action of the edited content is also triggered selecting the ‘Previous’ or ‘Next’ buttons, or by using the horizontal menu options, provided in the top area of the proposal pages for navigation purposes. It is recommended to use a text editor to prepare the proposal and copy-paste later the text into the web form fields; this prevents data loss for the user.

7.6 Geodetic Coordinate Notation Coordinates should be exclusively given in decimal degree notation, with WGS84 as reference datum. The latitude should be noted first, followed by the longitude value, and a minus sign should be used to mark the Western or the Southern hemisphere. A comma is used to separate the latitude and the longitude value, as an example:

‘48.138, 11.576’, ( ‘Marienplatz’, a central place in the city centre of Munich, Bavaria).

7.7 User Password The password minimal length is 6, while the maximum length is 10 characters. Registered science users may change their login password. A corresponding link for password changes is provided in the left side menu of the PI’s personal proposal page. A lost password can be reset by the TanDEM-X science coordinator for registered users only. In case of password loss, the science coordinator needs to be contacted via email. For non-registered users (= the account was not verified) this is not possible at all. A restart of the basic registration with a new user name is requested in such a case.