The RADARSAT Constellation Mission: Meeting the government of Canada´S needs and requirements

In this paper, we describe the high level RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM) concept and how it is being designed to meet Government of Canada user requirements. The constellation concept is designed primarily as a wide area monitoring system, offering medium resolution information on a daily basis, as well as high resolution imaging functionality. We briefly discuss the unique capabilities of the constellation particularly related to coverage and revisit as it pertains to meeting the needs of each of the three Core Use Area applications. Finally, we outline the approach and activities being undertaken in the development of a Data Utilization Plan to ensure that the Canadian user departments and agencies will be ready to use data from the RCM on Day 1 of the launch of the first satellite.