ClouDInSAR

CloudInSAR is an open-source project providing cloud-native Sentinel-1 InSAR processing workflows integrated into openEO and executed within the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem (CDSE). The project enables scalable, reproducible, and user-friendly access to Sentinel‑1 SLC‑based interferometric processing without the need for local data downloads or on-premise computing infrastructure.

Overview

Sentinel-1 Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) is a powerful tool for monitoring surface deformation and other Earth surface processes. However, processing Sentinel-1 Single Look Complex (SLC) data remains computationally demanding and technically complex. ClouDInSAR addresses these challenges by:

• extending openEO with native Sentinel-1 InSAR capabilities,
• enabling fully cloud-based InSAR workflows executed close to the data,
• providing modular, open-source processes suitable for both research and operational applications.

All processing chains are implemented using ESA SNAP and exposed through openEO process graphs, ensuring scientific robustness and transparency.

Sentinel-1 InSAR openEO processes

The repository provides three main openEO User Defined Processes (UDPs):

1. sentinel1_sar_coherence - Generates geocoded InSAR coherence products.

2. sentinel1_sar_interferogram - Generates geocoded interferograms including coherence, and wrapped and unwrapped phase.

3. sentinel1_sar_slc_preprocessing - Generates a STAC collection of co-registered Sentinel-1 SLC bursts in SAR geometry.

Burst-based processing

All InSAR workflows in CloudInSAR are designed around a burst level processing approach, optimized for Sentinel-1 TOPS acquisitions. Instead of processing full swaths or scenes, the openEO InSAR processes operate on individual Sentinel-1 bursts, which significantly improves scalability and computational efficiency in cloud environments. Each openEO InSAR process therefore requires the explicit specification of:

• burst_id – the unique identifier of the Sentinel-1 burst
• subswath – the Sentinel-1 sub-swath (IW1, IW2, or IW3) containing the burst

Burst id selection and InSAR pairs definition

To support users in selecting the input parameters for the InSAR openEO processes, the repository provides the InSAR_workflow_input_selection.ipynb notebook. This notebook assists users in:

• retrieving all Sentinel-1 bursts intersecting a given area of interest;
• visualizing burst footprints and acquisition geometries;
• filtering bursts by track, sub-swath, and relative position;
• identifying the appropriate burst_id and sub_swath values required as inputs for the openEO InSAR processes;
• show a calendar of Sentinel-1 acquisitions
• define the InSAR pairs based on perpendicular and temporal baseline filtering

The notebook relies on the supporting functions implemented in s1_burst_lib.py and provides a reproducible and transparent way to prepare inputs for the openEO Sentinel-1 InSAR workflows.

Documentation

• Process documentation: APEx Algorithm Catalogue
• Example workflows: examples/

Get Started

Clone the repository, explore the example notebooks, and start building your own cloud-native InSAR workflows with openEO.