Update in our Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data pipeline
- Release:
- Tags: API, Data Download Portal, Map, Marine Manager, Open Issue
Update on SAR vessel detection and fixed infrastructure data pipelines
We are currently updating our Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data pipeline to address a recent technical issue in our processing infrastructure. While we resume normal operations, we want to provide our users with transparency regarding a brief data delay and an adjustment to our sources.
Overview of the change
Starting March 28, 2026, we transitioned to an updated “ocean-land mask” for processing SAR satellite imagery. This mask is a filter that allows our algorithms to “crop” the ocean and ignore landmasses, ensuring we only detect objects in navigable waters.
This transition was necessitated by a technical update in our cloud assets. To ensure the continuity of the platform, our team has implemented a new version of our masking tool.
This issue generated a data delay in these datasets in our Map, APIs and Data Download Portal:
- SAR vessel detections
- Sentinel 1 and Sentinel 2 fixed infrastructure
Just as example, see delay of SAR vessel detections in our Map:
What users should know
We have published the first version of the new mask and:
- Backfilling data: Due to a processing pause on March 28, there is a temporary lag in new SAR vessel detections and fixed infrastructure appearing on the products. Our systems are currently backfilling this data, and we expect full availability within the coming days.
- Coastal analysis: With this first version of the mask, users focusing on high-precision coastal analysis may notice slight differences in SAR vessel detection coverage compared to data processed prior to March 28. See next steps below.
- Fixed infrastructure: As described below we are currently doing a full QA review, and initial findings suggest that with this first version of the mask some infrastructure will no longer be detected.
Next Steps and Quality Assurance
Our team is currently performing a comprehensive analysis to assess the impact of this update on our current data streams. If our ongoing Quality Assurance (QA) identifies any significant noise or false positives in the new detections, we will (a) share a report of these findings and (b) perform a full-pipeline re-run that will be available in Oct 2026 to harmonize the historical record.
Questions?
We are committed to providing the most accurate open-access data available. For technical inquiries regarding specific datasets or how this might affect your work, please reach out to our team at [email protected] .
