<title>Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Coordinate Processing System</title>

Abstract

This paper summarizes an operational philosophy of the Tactical Radar Image Processing System (TRIPS). The basic areas covered in this paper are: (1) positioning and control of reference scene imagery; (2) unique radargrammetric least squares modeling to perform target coordinate derivation; (3) off-the-shelf automatic data processing (ADP) hardware to receive, buffer, and exploit the Synthetic Aperature Radar (SAR) data, and (4) all required data bases including a digital terrain matrix. The reconstructed SAR digital image will be received by a Data Base Processor (DBP) where it will be digitally compressed and stored. The receipt of a SAR scene puts a flag into a queue for the screening/interpretation console. When a console becomes available, the scene will be decompressed and sent to a virtual image refresh disc at the console. The console operator will be able to screen the image by roaming, rotation, zooming, or performing the classical digital image enhancements. When a target is detected, a corresponding subset of a reference image covering the target area will be selected. This subset will have ancillary parameters such that for each discrete pixel a latitude, longitude, and height can be computed. The reference scene will be precontrolled using the Defense Mapping Agency's Point Positioning Data Base (PPDB). The operator will transfer the target location to the reference image. A radargrammetric least squares adjustment will be performed resulting in a precise latitude, longitude, and height for the target along with an analytically derived accuracy figure. The Defense Mapping Agency's DLMS Terrain Data Base will be used for the height determination.