IEEE AESS ACT seminar Synthetic Aperture Radar in Australia: missions, applications and the future
Title: Synthetic Aperture Radar in Australia: missions, applications and the future
When: Tue 21-Jul-26 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Speaker: Dr Matt Garthwaite, CSIRO
Abstract:
Optical satellite imaging has been the mainstay of Australian remote sensing research and applications development for decades, but when optical satellites are blinded by cloud cover or bushfire smoke, Synthetic Aperture Radar can provide an uninterrupted view of the ground. In this talk Matt will examine how satellite radar technology has evolved from a niche scientific tool into a sovereign strategic necessity that Australia can no longer ignore. Key themes will include
· SAR data access in Australia and future needs
· Real Australian use cases (e.g. disaster management, environmental monitoring, Antarctic applications)
· How SAR data is actually used in practice at organisations like CSIRO
· How Australia collaborates internationally in SAR and EO (e.g. working with international missions, data sharing, partnerships with overseas agencies/industry)
· Future directions and skill sets needed in Australia (what kinds of engineers/data scientists are in demand)
Bio: https://people.csiro.au/g/m/matt-garthwaite
Matt is an Earth Observation scientist with expertise in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and Interferometric SAR (InSAR) applications. His research interests include geodetic and geophysical applications of SAR, SAR interferometry, and SAR calibration/validation techniques and infrastructure.
Matt joined the CSIRO Centre for Earth Observation (CCEO) in the Space & Astronomy research unit in 2022 leading the SAR application research and capability development team, which includes operation of the NovaSAR National Facility. Matt was previously with Geoscience Australia from 2012 to 2022, where he led the development of a national-scale capability to leverage Sentinel-1 InSAR for generating ground movement products over large areas in Australia.
Matt has successfully delivered projects for the state government of NSW, assessing ground subsidence effects from coal seam gas and longwall mining in the Sydney basin, and for the Victorian state government's Melbourne Metro Rail project. Matt was responsible for designing a new geodetic infrastructure network funded by AuScope, which yielded the Queensland Corner Reflector Array that has become an internationally significant infrastructure for calibrating orbiting SAR sensors.
Matt obtained a Masters degree in geology and geophysics from the University of Leicester, UK, in 2005 and completed his PhD at the University of Leeds, UK, in 2011, before moving to Australia in 2012.
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