volume | PIER Journals

Abstract

A new SAR radiometric terrain correction method was proposed to reduce the terrain effects in sloped regions. Based on this method, a procedure for polarimetric SAR terrain effect reduction was proposed, including geometric correction, shadow detection, radiometric terrain correction, and polarization orientation angle shift compensation. Experiments using RADARSAT-2 polarimetric SAR data of the Three Gorges Area, China demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed radiometric terrain correction method. Both visual and quantitative analyses showed that after the proposed radiometric terrain correction method was applied, the contrast between different slopes that caused by local incidence angle differences, foreshortening, and layover was significantly reduced. The difference of backscattering intensity on slopes facing the radar sensor and facing away from the sensor was reduced from 12.5 dB before radiometric correction to 1.3 dB. The overall accuracy of land use / land cover classification was improved by 11.2 percent using the terrain corrected polarimetric SAR data.

1. Kong, J. A., S. H. Yueh, H. H. Lim, R. T. Shin, and J. J. van Zyl, "Classification of earth terrain using polarimetric synthetic aperture radar images," Progress In Electromagnetics Research, Vol. 3, 327-370, 1990. Google Scholar

2. Lee, J. S., et al. "Classification of multi-look polarimetric SAR imagery-based on complex wishart distribution," International Journal of Remote Sensing, Vol. 15, 2299-2311, 1994.
doi:10.1080/01431169408954244 Google Scholar

3. Lee, J. S., et al. "Unsupervised classification using polarimetric decomposition and the complex Wishart classifier," IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Vol. 37, 2249-2258, 1999.
doi:10.1109/36.789621 Google Scholar

4. Pottier, E. and J. S. Lee, "Application of the `H/A/(alpha)under-ba' polarimetric decomposition theorem for unsupervised classification of fully polarimetric SAR data based on the Wishart distribution," CEOS SAR Workshop, Vol. 450, 335-340, 2000. Google Scholar

5. Lee, J. S., et al. "Unsupervised terrain classification preserving polarimetric scattering characteristics," IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Vol. 42, 722-731, Apr. 2004.
doi:10.1109/TGRS.2004.836769 Google Scholar

6. Mishra, P., D. Singh, and Y. Yamaguchi, "Land cover classification of palsar images by knowledge based decision tree classi¯er and supervised classifiers based on SAR observables," Progress In Electromagnetics Research B, Vol. 30, 47-70, 2011. Google Scholar

7. Ferro-Famil, L. and E. Pottier, "Dual frequency polarimetric SAR data classification and analysis," Progress In Electromagnetics Research, Vol. 31, 247-272, 2001.
doi:10.2528/PIER00081601 Google Scholar

8. Yang, J., X. She, and T. Xiong, "Iteration based polarimetric SAR image classification," PIERS Proceedings, 47-50, Beijing, China, Mar. 26-30, 2007.

9. Zhang, Y., L. Wu, and G. Wei, "A new classifier for polarimetric SAR images," Progress In Electromagnetics Research, Vol. 94, 83-104, 2009.
doi:10.2528/PIER09041905 Google Scholar

10. Jin, Y. Q., "Polarimetric scattering modeling and information retrieval of SAR remote sensing --- A review of FDU work," Progress In Electromagnetics Research, Vol. 104, 333-384, 2010.
doi:10.2528/PIER10020101 Google Scholar

11. Lee, J. S. and E. Pottier, Polarimetric Radar Imaging: Form Basics to Applications, Taylor & Francis Group, New York, 2009.

12. Lee, J. S., et al. "Polarimetric SAR data compensation for terrain azimuth slope variation ," IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Vol. 38, 2153-2163, 2000.
doi:10.1109/36.868874 Google Scholar

13. Lee, J. S., et al. "On the estimation of radar polarization orientation shifts induced by terrain slopes," IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Vol. 40, 30-41, Jan. 2002.
doi:10.1109/36.981347 Google Scholar

14. Lee, J.-S. and T. L. Ainsworth, "The effect of orientation angle compensation on coherency matrix and polarimetric target decompositions," IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Vol. 49, 53-64, Jan. 2011.
doi:10.1109/TGRS.2010.2048333 Google Scholar

15. Meier, E., et al. "SAR geocoding: Data and systems," Precise Terrain Corrected Geocoded Images, Hervert Wichmann Verlag GmbH, Karlsruhe, 1993. Google Scholar

16. Loew, A. and W. Mauser, "Generation of geometrically and radiometrically terrain corrected SAR image products," Remote Sensing of Environment, Vol. 106, 337-349, Feb. 15, 2007.
doi:10.1016/j.rse.2006.09.002 Google Scholar

17. Small, D., "Flattening gamma: Radiometric terrain correction for SAR imagery," IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Vol. 49, 3081-3093, Aug. 2011.
doi:10.1109/TGRS.2011.2120616 Google Scholar

18. Chen, Z. H. and J. F. Wang, "A new method for minimizing topographic effects on RADARSAT-1 images: An application in mapping human settlements in the mountainous three gorges area, China," Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing, Vol. 34, 13-25, Feb. 2008.
doi:10.5589/m08-005 Google Scholar

19. Guindon, B. and M. Adair, "Analytic formulation of spaceborne SAR image geocoding and `value-added' product generation procedures using digital elevation data," Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing, Vol. 18, 2-12, Jan. 1992. Google Scholar

20. Corner, W. R. and W. G. Rees, The Simulation of Geometric Distortion in A Synthetic Aperture Radar Image of Alpine Terrain, 1995.

21. Freeman, A. and J. C. Curlander, "Radiometric correction and calibration of SAR images," Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing, Vol. 55, 1295-1301, Sep. 1989. Google Scholar

22. Holecz, F., et al. "Rigorous derivation of backscattering coefficient," IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society Newsletter, 6-14, 1994. Google Scholar

23. Vanzyl, J. J., et al. "The effect of topography on SAR calibration," IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Vol. 31, 1036-1043, 1993.
doi:10.1109/36.263774 Google Scholar

24. Goering, D. J., et al. "Removal of terrain effects from SAR satellite imagery of arctic tundra," IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Vol. 33, 185-194, Jan. 1995.
doi:10.1109/36.368210 Google Scholar

25. Ulander, L. M. H., "Radiometric slope correction of synthetic-aperture radar images," IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Vol. 34, 1115-1122, Sep. 1996.
doi:10.1109/36.536527 Google Scholar

26. Tilley, D. G. and K. S. Bonwit, "Reduction of layover distortion in SAR imagery," Remote Sensing of Environment, Vol. 27, 211-220, Mar. 1989.
doi:10.1016/0034-4257(89)90083-7 Google Scholar

27. Bolter, R., et al. "Geocoding in SAR layover areas," 2nd European Conference on Synthetic Aperture Radar, 481-484, Friedrichshafen, Germany, 1998.

28. Small, D., et al. "Terrain-flattened gamma nought Radarsat-2 backscatter," Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing, Vol. 37, 493-499, Oct. 2011.
doi:10.5589/m11-059 Google Scholar

29. Schuler, D. L., et al. "Compensation of terrain azimuthal slope effects in geophysical parameter studies using polarimetric SAR data," Remote Sensing of Environment, Vol. 69, 139-155, Aug. 1999.
doi:10.1016/S0034-4257(99)00017-6 Google Scholar

30. Yamaguchi, Y., et al. "Four-component scattering power decomposition with rotation of coherency matrix," IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Vol. 49, 2251-2258, Jun. 2011.
doi:10.1109/TGRS.2010.2099124 Google Scholar

31. Raney, R. K., et al. A Plea for Radar Brightness, 1994.

Mr. Peng Wang

Dr. Qin Ma

Dr. Jinfei Wang

Dr. Wen Hong

Dr. Yang Li

Dr. Zhaohua Chen