Work

CPAZMaL: A New Dataset of X-Band SAR Time Series in the French Alps for Machine Learning

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: High-resolution SAR time-series datasets remain scarce for high-mountain land cover applications, limiting the development of advanced machine learning methods for temporal monitoring of mountain surfaces in complex Alpine terrain. This paper introduces CPAZMaL: Cryosphere analysis with PAZ images for Machine Learning, a comprehensive benchmark dataset combining 3 years of X-band SAR acquisitions from PAZ satellites over the Mont-Blanc massif (Western European Alps). The dataset encompasses 8 terrain classes, including rarely studied glacier types such as ice aprons and hanging glaciers alongside well-characterized accumulation and ablation zones, as well as non-glacial surfaces such as rock outcrops, Alpine grasslands, and forested areas, enabling the study of landscape transitions driven by climate change. All the SAR images were processed through a standardized radiometric calibration and terrain correction workflow using a custom 1.5-m LiDAR DEM, ensuring geometric and radiometric consistency across dualpolarization (HH/HV) and both orbit (ascending/descending) configurations. Data are organized in a hierarchical HDF5 structure with group-based sampling to minimize spatial autocorrelation. We establish baseline performance across 4 machine learning scenarios: temporal classification, time-series forecasting, and domain adaptation, addressing polarimetric and cross-sensor transfer. Results demonstrate the dataset's utility for developing robust classification methods that handle geometric distortions, temporal variability, and the limited training samples inherent to high-resolution SAR data in steep Alpine environments, with a strong emphasis on glacial dynamics.

Source: IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing

DOI: 10.1109/jstars.2026.3713622

Authors: Matthieu Gallet, Suvrat Kaushik, Christophe Lin-Kwong-Chon, Ludovic Ravanel, Emmanuel Trouve

Institutions: Université Savoie Mont Blanc, Université Grenoble Alpes, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

Language: English

Topic: Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Applications and Techniques

Subfield: Geophysics

Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Life on land

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,800