ESTIMATION OF THE LOCAL INCIDENCE ANGLE MAP FROM A SINGLE SAR IMAGE

摘要

The ongoing ESA SENTINEL-1 mission witnesses the key role of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems in Earth observation and monitoring by means of a continuous radar mapping of our planet’s surface. By exploiting the peculiarities of the radiation-matter interaction, SAR data contain huge information concerning the physical and chemical properties of the illuminated surface. Due to the huge number of surface parameters influencing SAR data formation, very few scientific papers concern the estimation of such parameters directly from a single SAR image. In this paper, a technique aimed at the estimation of the local incidence angle map from a single SAR image is derived. The proposed method relies on a solid theoretical background and well-assessed models and methods. The efficacy of the new estimation technique is assessed with both simulated and actual SAR images.