First realtime use of RADARSAT SAR imagery for ship navigation in Antarctica

In polar regions, navigation strongly depends on ice conditions which can be defined by ice types and ice concentration. For a long time, satellite imagery, specially AVHRR and SAR data, has been providing such information. Henceforth, until now the availability of SAR images for ship navigation in Antarctica was not sufficient for this data to be used in a realtime approach. However, due to its onboard recorder, the Canadian satellite, RADARSAT, can acquire images over Antarctica on a regular basis. The experiment presented in this paper investigates its potential for ship routing to Antarctica and, in particular, towards the Dumont d'Urville French Polar Station.