Abstract
On 10 August 2016 China launched the GF-3, its first C-band polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite, which was put into operation at the end of January, 2017. GF-3 polarimetric SAR has many advantages such as high resolution and multi-polarization imaging capabilities. Polarimetric SAR can fully characterize the backscatter property of targets, and thus it is of great interest to explore the physical scattering mechanisms of terrain types, which is very important in interpreting polarimetric SAR imagery and for its further usages in Earth observations. In this paper, focusing on target scattering characterization and feature extraction, we generalize the method, which was proposed under the reflection symmetric assumption, for the general backscatter process to account for both the reflection symmetry and asymmetry cases. Then, we evaluate the performances of physical scattering mechanism analysis methods for GF-3 polarimetric SAR imagery. Radarsat-2 data acquired over the same area is used for cross validation. Results show that GF-3 polarimetric SAR data has great potential for target characterization, especially for ocean area observation.
Highlights
Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) has all-weather, day and night imaging capabilities
In [13], based on the co-polarization ratio, we proposed a new physical scattering mechanism classification method to explore the intrinsic relationship between a single scattering mechanism and the stochastic backscattering process
For targets dominated by double-bounce scattering, since the physical model of double-bounce scattering is characterized by co-polarization phase difference (CPD) approaching to ±π [14], according to (3), ∆αB should be smaller than 0◦
Summary
Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) has all-weather, day and night imaging capabilities. In the past twenty years, a number of space-borne SAR systems designed for various Earth observation missions have been launched into Earth orbit. The GF-3 satellite has on-board a C-band high resolution SAR It can work in twelve different imaging modes, in which the highest resolution is up to 1 m. The Cloude-Pottier decomposition provides a simple but effective method to identify the target scattering mechanisms This method has been investigated and used widely in many applications. Yamaguchi’s four component decomposition [10] divides the backscattered energy into four different scattering mechanisms based on four scattering models and is widely used for polarimetric SAR image interpretation. Together with Cloude-Pottier’s decomposition [6,14], this method is applied to analyze the performance of GF-3 polarimetric SAR data for representing target physical scattering mechanisms and terrain type classification capability.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
