Australian Centre for Remote Sensing (ACRES) Advanced Land Observing Sensor (ALOS) - Ordering

• How to order – quick guide
• How to order – details
• ALOS Group Purchase

Information on the ALOS satellite ALOS non-commercial registration End user licence Non-commercial use definition Price list Sample data

ALOS processing options ALOS geometric and radiometric specifications ACRES file formats for optical satellite imagery ACRES ALOS data observation request FAQ

PLEASE NOTE: You may apply now for ALOS non-commercial registration.

How to order ALOS products:

Quick guide

1. To be eligible to access ALOS data from ACRES customers need to ensure:

• the use of data is for non-commercial purposes (for commercial purposes, please contact a RESTEC appointed agent.);
• and that they reside in the Oceania region.

To access data customers also need to ensure that:

2. they are a registered user of the ACRES Digital Catalogue;

3. they apply to register for any proposed use of ALOS data as non-commercial. Customers can expect to be advised on the success of an application within five working days;

4. after application approval, they login to the ACRES Digital Catalogue where a search can be made for the desired scenes and an order placed;

5. additional processing parameters be specified to fully define all of the product requirements;

6. they read and understand the customer's legal responsibility and agree to the End-User Licence;

7. payment is made by credit card, or on 30-day account for account holders; and after payment approval, the Finalise button is clicked.

Depending on system demand products will be processed and dispatched within three to five working days.

[back to top]

More details

1. Access condition

ACRES is able to licence customers to use ALOS data only for non-commercial purposes. Customers need to apply to ACRES to obtain approval for use of the product and register as a non-commercial customer. All application will be assessed manually to ensure each complies with the definition of non-commercial use. Consequently, it is in the customers interest to ensure that any use will be non-commercial by reading and understanding the ALOS non-commercial use definition before continuing with the order process.

If any proposed use is for commercial purposes, customers need to seek a separate commercial licence from a local commercial agent appointed by the Remote Sensing Technology of Japan (RESTEC).

ACRES is licensed to provide ALOS data only to customers who reside within the Oceania region defined below. Users outside this region should contact the relevant local source for details:

• Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
• Alaskan Satellite Facility.
• European Space Agency.

Note that each of these agencies is licensed to distribute ALOS data only to users in their respective zones.

Oceania region defined:

The Oceania region covers the following countries/ regions:

Australia; Papua New Guinea; New Zealand; and the Pacific Islands.

Specific island countries/localities included in the Oceania Region are:

Campbell Island Chatham Island Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Cook Islands Fiji Kermadec Islands Kiribati

Lord Howe Island Macquarie Island Marshall Islands Nauru New Caledonia Niue Norfolk Island Palau

Samoa Solomon Islands Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu Micronesia Wallis and Futuna

[back to top]

2. Become a registered user of the ACRES Digital Catalogue

Customers must be a registered user of the ACRES Digital Catalogue to place ALOS orders online. To register, please proceed to the ACRES Digital Catalogue.

[back to top]

3. Apply to register for non-commercial use of ALOS data

To order ALOS satellite imagery data for non-commercial purposes, customers must apply to ACRES to have any proposed use approved and registered as non-commercial. Customers will be licensed to use ALOS data only for their pre-approved non-commercial purposes.

The decision on whether an application is non-commercial or commercial will be made by ACRES based on the planned use of the data and any decision will be final. For more information on the classification of non-commercial use see the ALOS Non-commercial Definition and Policy.

Online non-commercial use registration

Registration can be made online.

Customers will receive acknowledgement of a registration request by e-mail and be advised on the success of an application within five working days.

Manual non-commercial use registration

This option is available only if online registration is not possible.
To obtain a copy of the registration form, contact ACRES Customer Services. To register, complete and sign the ALOS data non-commercial end-user registration request form and send to ACRES.

[back to top]

4. Use the ACRES digital catalogue to search and place an order

To order online, customers need to login to the ACRES digital catalogue using their registered customer ID and password. The following information may help to navigate around the ACRES digital catalogue.

• Use the tabs near the top of the page to navigate around different Catalogue pages;
• define Where and When, to describe the basic requirement of the information required;
• define the ALOS Satellite;
• refine satellite details such as sensor, path/row, cloud cover percentage and the month/year;
• execute the Search;
• examine individual matching records (the discrete items which together comprise a database). Click on view details or the thumbnail image to see more details and further Refine search results such as sensor, path/row, cloud cover percentage and the month/year if required;

(Note: The steps above may be repeated to locate additional data or to narrow a search to a smaller number of matching records.)

• select potential items for ordering by adding them to the Project Folder where customers can check the scene framing and cloud cover; and
• when ordering click Define Product followed by the save now button before clicking the Project Folder tab to return to that page.

In the Project Folder it is possible also to export to MapInfo to generate a footprint map and mapping-up files.

Note: For specialist users with MapInfo software the relevant checkbox needs to be selected to enable MapInfo export.

Before ordering, ensure that:

• only ALOS products are in the Project Folder;
• all products identified for order have been defined; and
• ALOS products which are not to be included in the order are removed from the Project Folder.

When these actions are completed, click the Order ALOS Products button which will generate a screen confirming the scenes for ordering. If the scene list is satisfactory, click Submit Orders Now.

For more information visit the ACRES digital catalogue.

Manual ordering

This option is available only if online ordering is not possible.

To obtain a copy of the End User Licence Agreement and order form, contact ACRES Customer Services.

[back to top]

5. Enter additional product parameters.

After clicking the Submit Orders Now button in the catalogue, customers will be directed to Geoscience Australia's Web-based Order Records Manager (WORM) page to enter additional product parameters which will be used to process the required products.

Customers will need to login to WORM using the ACRES Digital catalogue ID and password. When using WORM customers will need to check user details and update them if necessary by:

• clicking on Basket to view the list of scenes for ordering;
• clicking on Edit for each scene so the preferred processing parameters can be specified (e.g. forward, backward and/or nadir scenes for the PRISM sensor, processing level, resampling kernel, datum, data format, media type etc);
• completing all the required parameters for each scene before clicking the Update button; and
• clicking on Checkout to confirm scene details and client details such as address.

[back to top]

6. Agree to the End User Licence

In addition to showing all product details, the Checkout page will display the ALOS End User Licence Agreement together with the customer's specifically approved non-commercial use. Customers will be licensed to use the data for the specified purpose only.

Please read and understand the End User Licence. A summary of its conditions is provided below. Once agreement is undertaken to be bound by the licence and to pay for the products at the top of the page, please click Submit.

The rights and conditions within the End User Licence Agreement are summarised as follows:

• ALOS data shall be utilised for peaceful purposes only.
• Data users must accept the terms of an End User Licence Agreement and pay a licence fee to use the data.
• Distribution of simply converted imagery or unprocessed data to third parties is not permitted i.e. not permitted to transfer data if it retains its original pixel structure and can be converted back to primary data.
• Duplication of data is not permitted, except for backups.
• Distribution to a third party for profit is not permitted. Distribution for profit shall require a separate commercial licence.
• Subject to the terms of the End User Licence Agreement, the End User may permit consultants, contractors or subcontractors with which it has contracted for the provision of services to the End User, to use and adapt the data on behalf of the End User for internal purposes. The consultants, contractors or subcontractors may not keep copies of the data nor use the data for their own purposes.
• The End User has the right to produce derivative-work products by modifying the original data for non-commercial internal use.
• The End User may distribute Picture Images to third parties for non-commercial purposes.
• The End User maintains the right to reproduce, use and distribute value-added products to third parties for non-commercial use.
• The supply of all products must be accompanied with a credit statement, acknowledging that the products originated from JAXA's data (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency JAXA and METI in the case of PALSAR).

[back to top]

Definitions

Derivative-work product is a processed product which retains the original pixel structure and can be converted back to the primary data.

Picture Images are grey-scale or colour representations of ALOS data in image formats such as jpg, tiff, gif etc. which have undergone additional resampling and/or lossy compression to reduce the spatial detail. Picture Images normally are used for publication purposes.

Value-added product is a highly processed product which does not retain the original pixel structure and cannot be converted back to the primary data.

Privacy and personal information

The customer agrees that ACRES may collect, retain and use personal information about the customer for all purposes related to the registration and End User Licence Agreement, including, without limitation, providing such personal information to other Australian Government agencies or to JAXA.

The Customer agrees that Geoscience Australia may contact the customer using the customer's details to obtain feedback and information in relation to the provision of licensed data and the customer's use of the licensed data.

Further information is available in Geoscience Australia's Privacy and Security documentation.

[back to top]

7. Pay for your data

Online credit card payment

Please enter relevant credit card details for payment, selecting either VISA or MasterCard.

After the payment is approved, click the Finalise button to activate processing of the order. If the Finalise button is not clicked, the product will not be generated.

Following this it recommended that customers:

• record the displayed transaction ID number; and
• print the order confirmation details.

ACRES account customer

Customers with an ACRES 30-day credit account will have already been prompted to enter their details and will be able to view their order confirmation details after clicking Submit and agreeing to the conditions of the End User Licence.

Processing and delivery

Because ALOS products are processed from raw satellite data and customised to individual client needs, there will be a time period between placing an order and the product being ready for delivery. ACRES aims to process the ordered product within three working days, but this time may vary depending on the number of orders waiting in the processing system at any one time.

Products are delivered to Australian addresses by air freight .

ACRES contacts

For all enquires regarding satellite imagery, please contact ACRES Customer Services:

Address: Cnr Jerrabomberra Ave & Hindmarsh Drive, Symonston, ACT 2609, Australia
Opening hours: 8.30am - 5pm weekdays
Telephone: (02) 6249 9779
After Hours emergencies only (mobile): 0413 021 022
Fax: (02) 6249 9938
Email: acres@ga.gov.au