This is the help of the Simcat™.

The outline of the satellite tracks and frames are superimposed over Google Earth. To use this facility, you will need Google Earth software. Click on http://earth.google.com to get it. There is no charge for this software.

Getting Started

Welcome to SIMCAT – TRE’s quick search tool for identifying the availability of SAR imagery anywhere in the world. You can search by satellite, by acquisition mode, by time period, among other more detailed search parameters. The following steps will lead you to the information you need.

• Click on the SIMCAT button.
• Enter your user name and password and click on the Login button. Send an e-mail to simcat@treuropa.com if you don’t yet have access.
• On the next screen, select the preferred data source from the Satellite Selection panel. The ESA Like button will show all of the ERS-1 and ERS-2 scenes, as well as the Envisat data acquired in ERS-like mode (i.e. Swath 2); the other corresponding buttons will reveal the data acquired by the individual satellites.
• If you know which acquisition mode you wish to search, select it in the Mode panel. If you don’t know the mode you want, ignore this step. The search will reveal all of the acquisition modes of your chosen satellite.
• Similarly, if you know whether you need data from an ascending or descending pass, make your selection in the Pass panel. If you don’t know which option you want the selection will default to ascending and descending.
• If you know the satellite Track and Frame references for your area of interest, enter them in the Orbit Parameter panel. If you don’t know them, which is a common situation, ignore this panel. The search will reveal these details at the end.
• In the Search Parameters panel enter the general dimension of the area of interest (max 999 km). The assumption is that it is a square so one dimension only is needed. Enter the minimum number of scenes you require for your application. If you don’t wish to specify the dimensions of the area or the number of scenes, ignore this panel. The default is a 100 Km square and a minimum data set of 1 scene.

Note: Once you are in to Google Earth, use Google’s positioning and magnification keys to visualize your area of interest. 

• Complete the Time Span Selection panel if you know the particular period over which you wish to monitor. If the period is unknown, ignore this panel; all the available data will be provided.
• Click Set Filter. The screen will reappear showing your selections. Please check that they are correct. You can amend them if you so wish. An additional button – Add search to Google Earth – will appear at the bottom of the window. Click on this button and you will enter Google Earth. Please click this button only once.
• Enter the name or coordinates of the area in which you are interested in Google Earth’s Search box at the top left of the screen, using Google Earth’s normal procedures. Click on the Google Earth Search button.
• The screen will now go to your area of interest and the SAR image coverage will appear as an overlay (the search will take place automatically after 4 seconds the camera stop), depending on the selections you made on entering SIMCAT. Note: The capacity of your computer and your server may affect the speed at which the results appear on your screen. Allow a few seconds for this step in the process.
• The list of available images can be accessed by clicking on the icon (ex. ) which are located at the centre of each frame, and then clicking on the 'click for details' link. Note: check to have selected "Show web results in external browser" in Tools-> Options-> General inside Google Earth and that the details window opens in the same browser used to open the Simcat™ page.

Note: If you selected a particular satellite but no specific acquisition mode when entering your requirements into SIMCAT, then the Google Earth image will show all of the tracks and frames overlying the area of interest. When there are many such modes, the image becomes confusing and some of the options need to be filtered out. Step 13 explains how this can be done.

• In the My Places window at the left of the Google Earth screen, click on SIMCAT Catalog and the contents of the catalogue will be displayed in drop down form. Click on the first item (the name of the satellite) and the various acquisition modes for that satellite, in the chosen area of interest, will drop down. They will all have a check mark in the check box. Switch off the check marks and you will see on the screen that the footprints of the satellite tracks will disappear, as each box is un-ticked. Go back to step 12 to identify the catalog of images in the chosen acquisition mode.

If you have any suggestions for improving this service, or if you are experiencing difficulties in finding the information you require, please e-mail a description of your problem to simcat@treuropa.com and we will contact you. Please include your email address and telephone number, including international codes.