Ships and Ship Wakes Location
A ship acts as a bright point target against the ocean background clutter. Ship detection is dependent on ship size and type, as well as wind speed. As wind speeds increase, the clutter from the ocean background also increases, making it difficult to distinguish the return from a bright point target. The presence of a wake can be used to determine ship heading and speed.

RADARSAT beam mode - Optimum beam mode depends on the size of the ship targets (if known) and the area of coverage required. Lower resolution beams will reduce ship detectability but may be better if large area coverage is important.

RADARSAT incidence angle - Radar ocean background clutter is smaller with larger incidence angles, thereby improving the probability of a ship being imaged by radar.

Look direction - If the area to be imaged is within proximity of a water-land interface, choose a look direction that will image the area of interest in the near half of the swath so as to avoid image quality problems. Look direction is not a critical factor for open ocean areas.

When to acquire RADARSAT data - Data is normally acquired as part of routine surveillance activities of ship traffic and monitoring of fishing activities. A critical factor affecting the success of imaging ship targets is wind speed. Ship detection is difficult at higher wind speeds.