The F2F course of the EO AFRICA R&D Facility will take place in Kampala from 16 – 20 March 2026 in close cooperation with Makerere University GIS Centre (CEDAT), Kampala, Uganda. This course is designed to gain a comprehensive understanding of multi-parameter SAR data through interactive learning.
The course is organised in 5 days filled with theoretical lectures and hand-on exercises performed on cloud-computing environment using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) polarimetric data from EO missions. During the course participants will have a chance to understand the information content of SAR data, principles and properties of SAR will be explained on real world examples. The basic SAR processing principles and algorithms will also be demonstrated during the practical sessions.
The goal of the course is to provide participants with sufficient knowledge to become familiar with radar polarimetry and interferometry: including interpretation of interferogram and coherence as well as interpretation of scattering mechanisms and polarimetric decompositions. The combination of the two techniques (polarimetry and interferometry): PolInSAR will be intro-duced as well as some applications in the field of food security and forestry. Additionally, participants will learn about current EO missions providing SAR data in different polarization modes, with their main characteristics, coverage and data access. New and future SAR polarimetric missions will also be presented, including: BIOMASS, NISAR, TerraSAR-L, ROSE-L, Sentinel-1 NextGen missions.
The course is designed as a combination of lectures and practical exercises performed under supervision of instructors. Exercises will be implemented within the Virtual Research Environment (Innovation Lab) provided by EOAFRICA R&D Facility to all participants (accessible via web browser). Data to perform the exercises will also be available within the platform.
A variety of learning resources will be distributed to participants through MOODLE platform, including presentations, reading materials, videos and extra materials.
Upon completion of this online training course, the participant will be able to:
- Understand theoretical principles and properties of SAR data, selected processing algorithms, data products and their use in various applications, considering their advantages and limitations.
- Understand and explore available tools and methods for the exploitation of dual-pol and full-pol data.
- Name differences between SAR polarimetry, SAR interferometry (InSAR), and polarimetric SAR interferometry (PolInSAR) and their potential use.
- Understand the role and purpose of the current and future ESA and ESA Third Party SAR Mis-sions and their applicability in the African region.
- Practice data exploitation and access of publicly available datasets providing fully-polarimetric and dual-pol images through hands-on exercises.
- Practice utilization of SAR polarimetric and interferometry data to address specific environmental problems like deforestation mapping, agriculture and crop monitoring.
- Develop end-to-end case study (group project) based on the methods, processing tools and data introduced during the training.
Each day of the workshop will consist of morning and afternoon sessions with total duration of 6 hours. The sessions will focus on the introduction to relevant concepts, methods, data, platforms and cloud computing. Theoretical lectures will be intertwined with practical exercises. Participants will be asked to shortly present their group assignment during the last day of the training.
SAR POLARIMETRY AND INTERFEROMETRY
CAN I APPLY?
Who can participate?
Space is limited to a maximum of 25 Participants. Participants will be selected based on their academic background, work experience and motivation to participate. We will strive to have a gender-balanced and country-balanced group of participants. You will receive a confirmation e-mail about selection results and further information by 10th February 2026.
Participants should reside in one of the African countries, should have an academic background related to Geoinformation/Earth Observation Science in combination with knowledge on Environmental Sciences, Forestry, Agriculture, Geography, or similar. Prior experience in Python programming and the use of cloud environments will be an asset. We do expect participants with familiarity in SAR products and data processing workflows. Young researchers in this field are encouraged to apply!
Teachers:
Registration:
Schedule
Each day of the course will consist of morning and afternoon sessions with total duration of 6 hours. The sessions will focus on the introduction to relevant concepts, methods, data, platforms and cloud computing. Theoretical lectures will be intertwined with practical exercises. Participants will be asked to shortly present their group assignment during the last day of the training. The project will be developed under supervision of trainers.
- Morning session: 9:00 – 13:00 (including coffee break).
- Lunch break: 13:00 – 14:00.
- Afternoon session: 14:00 – 16:00.
Certificate of Attendance
Participants who have been actively participating during the course and present their assignment will be given a Certificate of Attendance issued by the EO AFRICA R&D Facility and Makerere University GIS Centre (CEDAT).
Technical requirements
Participants are requested to bring their own laptop. Access to the Innovation Lab (EOAFRICA’s cloud computing facility) will be granted prior to the course.
It is strongly recommended that participants get themselves acquainted with the following On-line courses offered by the EO AFRICA R&D Space Academy, prior to attending:
- Cloud Computing and Algorithms for EO Analyses.
- Principles and Advances in Earth Observation.
- PolInSAR Processing and Applications.
Access to these online courses will be provided upon acceptance into the face-to-face training.
Cost and Sponsorship
Attendance to the training course is free of charge.
Participants will need to arrange and pay their own travel, subsistence and accommodation. Lunch and coffee/tea break will be provided during the workshop. For those not living in Kampala, the Facility can sponsor for a limited number of participants up to EUR 200 to cover such expenses. Should you want to apply for this funding, please indicate it in the application form. Payment – upon proof of expenditures – of the 200 Euro (max) will go via bank transfer and will be arranged after completion of the workshop.