Relations between SAR tomography and full-waveform LIDAR for structural analysis of forested areas

Active remote sensing techniques, like SAR tomography and full-waveform LIDAR, are able to capture the 3D reflectance function at or inside objects. They are therefore of special interest for analyzing forest environments. Research goals are the derivation and characterization of the different physical measurement aspects of data taken over forested areas, as well as establishing mutual relations in such a way that LIDAR data can be used to calibrate and correct 3D density data of SAR tomography. The paper outlines the phenomenology of forested areas in SAR tomograms and full-waveform LIDAR data and sketches a simple mathematical methodology for linking SAR and LIDAR reflection density profiles.