Digital elevation model of Burgan oil field, Kuwait derived from repeat pass satellite radar interferometry

An accurate Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of Burgan Oil Field, Kuwait, is of great importance for oil pipe lines alignment, drainage networks, transportation, etc. The Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (InSAR) technique suitable for the Kuwait desert environment is derived. Using different combinations of twenty-nine Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) images, 43 DEMs are generated. The perpendicular baseline component (Bx) in the range 150 m - 400 m is considered appropriate for C-band ASAR data. The ninety meters DEM of Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) is taken as a reference to estimate the error in the derived DEMs. The Standard Deviation (STD) with reference to SRTM is found to vary from 2.8 m to as high as 20 m. The weighted average technique is applied to derive the best DEM of Burgan Oil Field at a spatial resolution of 40 m.