Side-Looking Airborne Radar (SLAR) imagery is available from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for selected project areas in the conterminous United States and Alaska. Data are X-band synthetic aperture radar (horizontally transmitted, horizontally received) with the exception of some test sites. Coverage was contracted on a yearly basis.

The USGS SLAR images most often consist of contact strip images and 1:250,000-scale, map-controlled mosaics. Greater than half of the available SLAR image strips are distributed on 8-mm cassettes, while some image strips are distributed on CD-ROM. In addition, ancillary products such as indexes (on paper, film, or microfiche) and custom photographic products may also be available. Due to the geographically non-searchable nature of the SLAR inventory, customer assistance may be obtained to determine availability of SLAR data over the user's area of interest. Customer knowledge of USGS 1:250,000-scale map names is beneficial in expediting orders. A scale of 1:50,000 only applies to Alaska coverage.