After successful completion of the course, students are able to apply the mathematical and physical theory from the co-organised lecture. The students will receive skills for using fundamental concepts on microwaves and radar through performing dedicated calculation examples. Moreover, the students will gain hands-on-skills on handling and exploitation of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data for the retrieval of geophysical variables and objects on land surfaces.

The exercise comprise one theory part and one practical part.

The theory part comprise calculation exercises on electromagnetic radiation and its description as waves, radiative transfer theory, radar methods, refraction and scattering phenomena, and interaction with matter.

The practical exercise deals with the processing of SAR-data over Austria with the aim to perform, document, discuss, and evaluate a freely chosen application and methods.

The students are supported with the following methods in their exercises:

• calculation of exercises
• presentations of the exercises on the blackboard
• feedback to the exercise presenation on the blackboard
• introduction to the handling of the QGis software
• introduction to the interpretation of SAR imagery
• motivation for posing, accepting, or rejecting an own hypothesis
• feedback to exercise results, report, and presentation

The practical exercise is carried out as group effort (in teams of 2 or 3).

The grading is deduced from the following performances of the students:

• marked exercises
• presentation of exercises
• written report on practical exercise
• presentation of application, methods, and results from the practical exercise

The grading's mode and point system will be explained in detail at the initial course meeting. Presence at the theory-exercises, the initial meeting, and the presentations are mandatory!

In front: The point system is designed in a way so that the maximum is hard to achieve, while the grading is designed in a for the students favourable way.

It is assumed that students are familiar with

• electromagnetic wave- and radiative transfer theory
• basic remote sensing techniques and applications.