Swath Width

Swath width refers to the width of the strip of Earth's surface that a remote sensingRemote SensingRemote sensing is the science of collecting data about Earth's surface without direct physical contact, primarily usi... instrument images as the platform moves along its orbital or flight path. It is determined by the sensor's field of view and the altitude of the platform. Swath width directly affects how quickly a sensor can achieve complete coverage of Earth's surface and how frequently it revisits any given location. Swath width examplesNarrow-swath, high-resolution commercial satellites like WorldView have swaths of approximately 16 km, requiring many orbits to cover large areas. Medium-resolution sensors like Sentinel-2 have 290 km swaths, balancing resolution and coverage. Wide-swath sensors like MODIS cover 2,330 km per pass, achieving daily global coverage at moderate resolution. SARSARSynthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is an active remote sensing technology that uses microwave radar pulses to create high... sensors like Sentinel-1 offer multiple modes with swaths ranging from 80 km (high resolution) to 400 km (wide area). Trade-offs and implicationsSwath width involves a fundamental trade-off with spatial resolutionSpatial ResolutionSpatial resolution defines the size of the smallest feature or ground area that can be distinguished in a spatial dat...: wider fields of view spread the same number of detector elements across a larger ground area, resulting in larger pixels. This trade-off drives the diversity of satellite missions, from narrow-swath sub-meter sensors for detailed mapping to wide-swath moderate-resolution sensors for daily monitoring. Swath width is a key mission design parameter that shapes a satellite's coverage capability, revisit frequency, and suitability for different applications. Understanding this parameter is essential for selecting appropriate data sources for any remote sensing project.