L 1-Norm Sparse 2-D Phase Unwrapping Algorithm Based on Reliable Redundant Network

Abstract

Multitemporal interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) technology has become an important tool for digital elevation model (DEM) generation and surface deformation monitoring. The prerequisite is to obtain the correct unwrapped phase of the interferograms. However, it is still challenging to obtain reliable results by traditional 2-D phase unwrapping (PU) algorithms and even 3-D PU algorithms, when the phase continuity assumption fails due to large deformation gradients or abrupt topographic changes. This letter proposes an L¹-norm sparse 2-D PU algorithm based on reliable redundant network in the phase discontinuous region, which is obtained by implementing ambiguity detector on free network within a given distance. Experiment on real synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferograms covering urban tall buildings verified that the algorithm can obtain more reliable results in phase discontinuous regions than traditional PU algorithms.