Title :
Radar polarimetry: analysis tools and applications
Author :
Evans, Diane L. ; Farr, Tom G. ; Van Zyl, Jakob J. ; Zebker, Howard A.
Author_Institution :
Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Technol., Pasadena, CA, USA
fDate :
11/1/1988 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
The authors have developed several techniques to analyze polarimetric radar data from the NASA/JPL airborne SAR for Earth science applications. The techniques determine the heterogeneity of scatterers with subregions, optimize the return power from these areas, and identify probable scattering mechanisms for each pixel in a radar image. These techniques are applied to the discrimination and characterization of geologic surfaces and vegetation cover, and it is found that their utility varies depending on the terrain type. It is concluded that there are several classes of problems amenable to single-frequency polarimetric data analysis, including characterization of surface roughness and vegetation structure, and estimation of vegetation density. Polarimetric radar remote sensing can thus be a useful tool for monitoring a set of Earth science parameters
Keywords :
geophysical techniques; radar applications; remote sensing; airborne SAR; characterization; discrimination; geologic; geology; land surface; radar image; radar polarimetry; remote sensing technique; single-frequency; surface roughness; synthetic aperture radar; vegetation; Airborne radar; Data analysis; Geoscience; Radar applications; Radar imaging; Radar polarimetry; Radar scattering; Rough surfaces; Surface roughness; Vegetation mapping;
Journal_Title :
Geoscience and Remote Sensing, IEEE Transactions on