As the constellation of Earth-observing satellites grows ever more crowded, the question of whether their measurements can be trusted — and compared — has become one of the quiet urgencies of our technological age. In late November, Perth will gather the world's foremost synthetic aperture radar specialists under Australia's CEOS leadership to forge the common standards that allow radar satellites, regardless of origin, to speak a shared scientific language. It is the kind of unglamorous, essential work that underpins everything from disaster response to environmental stewardship — the calibra
Perth to Host Premier Global SAR Calibration Workshop in November
ensuring consistency across systems has become increasingly important
Mark
Why does it matter that this particular workshop is happening in Perth right now?
Mimi
Australia holds the leadership of CEOS this year, and the country has built real infrastructure for calibrating and validating radar satellites. It's a chance to show that work and set standards that the whole world will use.
Luke
But is Australia actually leading in this space, or is it just their turn to host because CEOS rotates leadership?
Mimi
Both. The rotation gives them the platform, but they have the infrastructure to back it up—test sites, partnerships with space agencies, the technical depth.
Mark
What gets decided at a workshop like this? Are these binding standards?
Mimi
It's more about technical consensus. Space agencies and companies agree on how to measure things consistently, what counts as validated data, how to compare systems to each other.
Luke
So if a country or company doesn't show up or doesn't agree, they can still do their own thing?
Mimi
Technically yes, but there's real pressure to align. If your satellite data doesn't match the agreed standard, users won't trust it.
Mark
Who actually uses this data once it's validated?
Mimi
Scientists studying climate and earthquakes, disaster response teams, governments monitoring their own territory, commercial users in agriculture and infrastructure.
Luke
The source mentions AI-enabled monitoring as an emerging area. Is that actually being deployed, or is it still theoretical?
Mimi
It's emerging—being discussed and tested. The workshop will help clarify what's ready and what's still experimental.
Mark
If someone wanted to follow this space after November, what should they watch for?
Mimi
Whether the standards agreed in Perth actually get adopted by new satellite missions launching over the next few years, and whether Australia's infrastructure becomes the reference point for validation.
Il Polso
- As SAR satellites multiply across agencies and commercial operators, inconsistent measurements risk undermining the very data that disaster responders and environmental scientists depend on.
- Perth becomes the focal point of a global technical reckoning, with space agency officials, researchers, and industry converging on CSIRO's Australian Resources Research Centre from November 30 to December 4, 2026.
- Australia is leveraging its 2026 CEOS presidency to assert itself as a calibration hub, showcasing infrastructure built by CSIRO, Geoscience Australia, and the Bureau of Meteorology.
- The agenda pushes into emerging territory — drone-mounted radar, AI-driven monitoring, digital beamforming — signalling that calibration must evolve as fast as the missions it validates.
- With abstract submissions closing September 11 and registration ending November 8, the window to shape this global conversation is already narrowing.
As the constellation of Earth-observing satellites grows ever more crowded, the question of whether their measurements can be trusted — and compared — has become one of the quiet urgencies of our technological age. In late November, Perth will gather the world's foremost synthetic aperture radar specialists under Australia's CEOS leadership to forge the common standards that allow radar satellites, regardless of origin, to speak a shared scientific language. It is the kind of unglamorous, essential work that underpins everything from disaster response to environmental stewardship — the calibration of instruments so that the data they return from orbit can be believed.
Perth will host one of the world's most consequential radar science gatherings this coming November, when the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites brings its annual Calibration and Validation Workshop to CSIRO's Australian Resources Research Centre from November 30 through December 4, 2026. The timing is no accident: Australia holds the rotating CEOS presidency for 2026, and its leading research bodies are using the moment to demonstrate what they have built.
Synthetic aperture radar — the technology that allows satellites to see through cloud and darkness — underpins earthquake monitoring, forest mapping, ocean surveillance, and disaster coordination. But as more nations and companies launch their own SAR missions, ensuring those systems produce consistent, comparable measurements has become both a technical and diplomatic challenge. This workshop exists to meet it, building common standards across an increasingly crowded field.
Dr Alex Held is steering an agenda that spans calibration methods for current and future missions, ground-based test infrastructure, data processing algorithms, and verification techniques for interferometry and polarimetry. Emerging topics include radar systems on aircraft and drones, new beamforming architectures, and the role of artificial intelligence in automated monitoring.
Australia's case for hosting rests on genuine assets: substantial investment in calibration infrastructure, geographically stable testing environments, and deep partnerships between government agencies and international space organisations. As the number of orbiting SAR missions grows, interoperability — the ability of different systems to produce mutually intelligible measurements — has become urgent, and Australia is positioning itself at the centre of that effort.
Researchers wishing to participate must submit abstracts by September 11, 2026, with registration closing November 8. What is decided in Perth over those five days will quietly shape how satellite radar data is validated and trusted for years to come.
Perth will host one of the world's most significant technical conferences for synthetic aperture radar specialists this November. The Committee on Earth Observation Satellites, or CEOS, is bringing its annual Calibration and Validation Workshop to Australia's west coast from November 30 through December 4, 2026, holding it at CSIRO's Australian Resources Research Centre. The timing is deliberate: Australia currently holds the rotating leadership of CEOS for 2026, and the country's government research bodies—CSIRO, Geoscience Australia, and the Bureau of Meteorology—are using the moment to showcase what they've built.
The workshop will draw space agency officials, commercial satellite operators, and academic researchers from around the world to discuss how to measure and verify the accuracy of radar data beamed down from orbit. This matters more than it might sound. Synthetic aperture radar, or SAR, is the technology behind satellites that can see through clouds and darkness, making it invaluable for tracking ground movement after earthquakes, measuring forest biomass, monitoring soil moisture, mapping ocean conditions, and coordinating disaster response. As more countries and companies launch their own SAR satellites, ensuring that all these systems produce consistent, reliable measurements has become a technical and diplomatic priority. The workshop exists to solve that problem—to create common standards and shared understanding across what is increasingly a crowded field.
Dr Alex Held, leading Australia's CEOS team, is overseeing an agenda that spans the full technical landscape. Presentations will cover calibration methods for current and future missions, the ground-based test sites and calibration targets that make measurement possible, data processing algorithms, and verification techniques for interferometry and polarimetry. The program also reaches toward emerging frontiers: how to calibrate radar systems mounted on aircraft and drones, new digital beamforming architectures, and novel geophysical applications of SAR data. Artificial intelligence is on the agenda too, as a tool for automated system monitoring.
Why Perth, why now, why Australia? The country has invested substantially in calibration infrastructure—the physical and computational systems needed to validate satellite measurements. Its geography offers stable environmental conditions useful for testing. And it has cultivated deep partnerships between government agencies, research institutions, and international space organizations. Those assets, taken together, make Australia a natural home for this kind of technical convening. As the number of SAR missions in orbit continues to grow, the need for interoperability—for different systems to speak the same measurement language—has become urgent. Australia is positioning itself as a hub for solving that problem.
For researchers and engineers interested in attending, the deadline to submit an abstract is September 11, 2026. Registration closes November 8. The workshop is open to the international community, and the full program details are available through CSIRO's events portal. What unfolds in Perth over those five days will shape how satellite radar data is validated and trusted for years to come.
Citazioni salienti
Australia's extensive network of calibration infrastructure, stable environmental conditions and strong partnerships between government, research organisations and international space agencies make it an attractive location for advancing SAR measurement quality— CSIRO/Geoscience Australia (workshop organizers)
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