Developing a method to estimate building height from Sentinel-1 data

Abstract

Building height is one of the key variables in studying anthropogenic activities and built environments in the urban system. However, the information of urban building height over large areas is still limited due to the lack of available data. In this study, we developed an approach to estimate building height using the Sentinel-1 Ground Range Detected data. First, we proposed an indicator of VVH that integrates the dual-polarization information (i.e., VV and VH) from the Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar data. Second, we developed a building height model using the indicator of VVH and the reference building height from airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) images in seven cities in the United States (US). Third, we estimated building height of major cities with area larger than 500 km2 in the US using the developed model. The root mean square error between estimated and reference height is 1.5 m in seven study cities in the US. The comparison with the Laser observations from the Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite data in available footprints also indicates that the estimated building height from Sentinel-1 data is reliable. The estimated building height from Sentinel-1 data shows a better agreement with the reference data compared to the Advanced Land Observing Satellite data in seven US cities. Our results of building height in major US cities indicate that there are more cities with tall buildings in the Northeastern US compared to the Western and Southern US, with more aggregated tall buildings in central business districts of cities. The information of building height from this study is of great value in urban studies, such as estimating energy consumption and carbon emissions in urban areas.