Fast processing method of SAR raw data simulation for large-scale forest stand application

SAR system simulation for forest application has been proved as an effective tool to provide scattering models and simulated SAR data for the development of forest retrieval algorithms. With the development of high resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) remote sensing technology, the demands of precise and efficient simulation for large-scale forest applications become increasing. However, the time cost will be unacceptable due to the large amount of scatterers in this kind of simulation. A fast processing method based on the equivalent scattering is proposed in this paper. The received SAR signal is equivalent to that responded by a few virtual scatterers whose number is much less than the real scatterers. The positions and the scattering matrices of virtual scatterers are especially calculated by segmenting the entire forest stand into slices, blocks, and pieces at the central aperture time. The simulation results show the superiority in accuracy and efficiency of the method proposed, and the potential utilities in SAR raw data simulation for forest application.