Calibration of airborne interferometric SAR data by external dem without artificial calibrators

It is necessary to calibrate interferometric system parameters in order to achieve high accuracy of DEM. The traditional calibration method use a lot of ground artificial calibrators as ground control points. However, the number of calibrators is limited and the distribution is difficult in some mountainous areas. The paper presents a calibration method based on an external DEM without any artificial calibrators. A simulated SAR image was generated with the aid of this reference DEM and a number of tie points were selected to be ground control points. This calibration method can improve the DEM accuracy, and this paper also illustrates its efficient application to airborne interferometric SAR data.