Feature Enhancement of Stripmap-Mode SAR Images Based on an Optimization Scheme

Based on a nonquadratic-optimization method originally proposed for spotlight-mode SAR image reconstruction, a modification for stripmap-mode SAR images is presented in this letter. This is done by mathematically reformulating the projection kernel and numerically putting it into a form that is suitable for optimization. The performance was evaluated by measures of the target contrast and 3-dB beamwidth using Radarsat-1 data. Results were analyzed and compared with those using minimum-variance and multiple-signal-classification methods. Results demonstrate that the target´s features are effectively enhanced and that the dominant scattering centers are well separated using the proposed method. In addition, the image fuzziness is greatly reduced, and the image fidelity is well preserved. The effectiveness of the modification is thus validated.