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Mission Requirements
The Level 1 Science Requirements flow down to lower-level science requirements. These Level 2 requirements expand to specific science measurements within each major discipline. While there is formal language associated with each of the Level 2 science requirements, they are most easily understood in tabular form. The following tables are grouped by discipline.
Solid Earth Science Level 2 Requirements
| Attribute | Secular Deformation (658) | Co-Seismic Deformation (660) | Transient Deformation (663) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Measurement | Spatially averaged relative velocities in two dimensions | Point-to-point relative displacements in two dimensions | Point-to-point relative displacements in two dimensions |
| Method | Interferometry, Speckle tracking | Interferometry, Speckle tracking | Interferometry, Speckle tracking |
| Duration | 3 years | 3 years | Episodic over mission, depending on science target |
| Product resolution | 100 m; smoothed according to distance scale L | 100 m | 100 m |
| Accuracy | 2 mm/yr or better, 0.1 km < L < 50 km, over > 70% of coverage areas | 4 (1+L1/2) mm or better, 0.1 km < L < 50 km, over > 70% of coverage areas | 3 (1+L1/2) mm or better, 0.1 km < L < 50 km, over > 70% of ~2,000 targeted sites |
| Sampling | One estimate over 3 years, two directions | 4 times per year to guarantee capture of any earthquake on land before surface changes too greatly | Every 12-days, two directions |
| Coverage | Land areas predicted to move faster than 1 mm/yr | All land, as earthquake locations are unknown a priori | Post-seismic events, volcanoes, ground-water, gas, hydrocarbon reservoirs, landslide-prone |
| Response latency | N/A | 24 hr tasking, 5 hr data delivery Best effort basis on event | 24/5 Best effort basis on event |
Cryosphere Science Level 2 Requirements
| Attribute | Ice Sheets and Glaciers Velocity Slow Deformation (667) | Ice Sheets and Glaciers Velocity Fast Deformation (668) | Ice Sheet Time-Varying Velocity (738) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Measurement | Point-to-point displacements in two dimensions | Point-to-point displacements in two dimensions | Point-to-point relative horizontal displacements |
| Method | Interferometry, Speckle tracking | Interferometry, Speckle tracking | Interferometry, Speckle tracking |
| Duration | 3 years | 3 years | 3 years |
| Product resolution | 100 m | 250 m | 500 m |
| Accuracy | 3% of the horizontal velocity magnitude plus 1 m/yr, or better, over > 90% of coverage areas | 3% of the horizontal velocity magnitude plus 5 m/yr, or better, over > 90% of coverage areas | 3% of the horizontal velocity magnitude plus 10 m/yr, or better, over > 80% of coverage areas |
| Sampling | Each cold season, two directions | Each cold season, two directions | Every 12-days, two directions |
| Coverage | Areas moving slower than 50 m/yr of both poles and glaciers and icecaps | Areas moving faster than 50 m/yr of both poles | Outlet glaciers, or other areas of seasonal change |
| Response latency | N/A | N/A | 24/5 Best effort basis on event |
| Attribute | Permafrost Displacement (671) | Grounding Line Vertical Displacement (445) | Sea Ice Velocity (670) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Measurement | Spatially averaged relative velocities in two dimensions | Point-to-point relative displacements in two dimensions | Point-to-point relative horizontal displacements |
| Method | Interferometry | Interferometry | Backscatter image feature tracking |
| Duration | 3 years | 3 years | 3 years |
| Product resolution | 100 m | 100 m | Gridded at 5 km |
| Accuracy | 10 mm or better, over > 80% of coverage areas | 100 mm or better, over 95% coverage areas annually over 50% coverage areas monthly | 100 m / day, over 70% of coverage area |
| Sampling | In snow-free months sufficient to meet accuracy (semi-monthly) | Monthly | Every 3 days |
| Coverage | Targeted priority regions in Alaska and Canada | Greenland and Antarctic coastal zones | Seasonally-adjusted Arctic and Antarctic sea ice cover |
| Response latency | N/A | 24 hour tasking, 5 hour data delivery Best effort basis on event | 24/5 Best effort basis on event |
Ecosystems Science Level 2 Requirements
| Attribute | Biomass (673) | Disturbance (675) | Inundation (677) | Crop Area (679) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Measurement | Biomass | Areal extent | Areal extent | Areal extent |
| Method | Polarimetric backscatter to biomass | Polarimetric backscatter temporal change | Polarimetric backscatter contrast | Polarimetric backscatter contrast and temporal change |
| Duration | 3 years | 3 years | 3 years | 3 years |
| Product resolution | 100 m | 100 m | 100 m | 100 m |
| Accuracy | 20 Mg/ha or better where biomass is < 100 Mg/ha, over 80% of coverage areas | 80% or better classification accuracy where canopy cover changes by > 50% | 80% or better classification accuracy | 80% or better classification accuracy |
| Sampling | Annual | Annual | Seasonal, sampled every 12 days to track beginning and end of flooding events | Quarterly; sampled every 12 days to track beginning and end of growing season |
| Coverage | Global areas of woody biomass | Global areas of woody biomass | Global inland and coastal wetlands | Global agricultural areas |
| Response latency | N/A | 24/5 Best effort basis on event | 24/5 Best effort basis on event | N/A |
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Last Updated
Jul 23, 2025
