High-resolution X-band SAR Research Articles

Feasibility Study on Estimation of Sea Ice Drift from KOMPSAT-5 and COSMO-SkyMed SAR Images

Estimating the sea ice drift field is of importance in both scientific study and activities in the polar ocean. Ice motion is being tracked at large scale (10 km and larger) on a daily basis; however, a higher resolution product is desirable for more reliable monitoring of rapid changes in sea ice. The use of wide-swath SAR has been extensively studied; yet, recent high-resolution X-band SAR sensors have not been tested enough. We examine the feasibility of KOMPSAT-5 and COSMO-SkyMed for retrieving sea ice motion by using the dataset of the MOSAiC expedition. The ice drift match-ups extracted from consecutive SAR image pairs and buoys for more than seven months in the central Arctic were used for a performance evaluation and validation. In addition to individual tests for KOMPSAT-5 and COSMO-SkyMed, a cross-sensor combination of two sensors was tested to overcome the drawback, a relatively long revisit time of high-resolution SAR. The experimental results show that higher accuracies are achievable from both single- and cross-sensor configurations of high-resolution X-band SARs compared to wide-swath C-band SARs, and that sub-daily monitoring is feasible from the cross-sensor approach.

Seasonal Deformation and Accelerated Motion of Infrastructure Monitoring Using a Generalized Differential SAR Tomography

Differential synthetic aperture radar tomography (D-TomoSAR) has proven an effective method for retrieving the elevations and deformations of both terrains and urban infrastructures. Particularly, D-TomoSAR with high-resolution X-band SAR data provides even higher accuracy for monitoring of deformations of the man-made structures. However, higher frequency increases the sensitivity of the system to the minute deformations causing a mismatch with the conventional linear deformation model. Currently, the traditional D-TomoSAR system has been extended to higher order versions to extract the seasonal deformation caused by the thermal dilation of structures. Nevertheless, the accelerated motion of scatterers representing another minute deformation component was neglected. As a result, the current D-TomoSAR model cannot accurately retrieve the linear, seasonal, and accelerated motions of the scatterers at the same time. In this letter, a generalized D-TomoSAR system model is proposed by a combination of the polynomial and the seasonal deformation model. Then, an effective algorithm for simultaneously retrieving the multiple deformation components based on the quasi-maximum likelihood (QML) technology is proposed. Finally, numerical simulations and experimental results with real data verify the effectiveness of the proposed system model and algorithm.

Seasonal and Interannual Variability of Columbia Glacier, Alaska (2011–2016): Ice Velocity, Mass Flux, Surface Elevation and Front Position

Alaskan glaciers are among the largest contributors to sea-level rise outside the polar ice sheets. The contributions include dynamic discharge from marine-terminating glaciers which depends on the seasonally variable ice velocity. Columbia Glacier is a large marine-terminating glacier located in Southcentral Alaska that has been exhibiting pronounced retreat since the early 1980s. Since 2010, the glacier has split into two branches, the main branch and the west branch. We derived a 5-year record of surface velocity, mass flux (ice discharge), surface elevation and changes in front position using a dense time series of TanDEM-X synthetic aperture radar data (2011–2016). We observed distinct seasonal velocity patterns at both branches. At the main branch, the surface velocity peaked during late winter to midsummer but reached a minimum between late summer and fall. Its near-front velocity reached up to 14 m day−1 in May 2015 and was at its lowest speed of ~1 m day−1 in October 2012. Mass flux via the main branch was strongly controlled by the seasonal and interannual fluctuations of its velocity. The west branch also exhibited seasonal velocity variations with comparably lower magnitudes. The role of subglacial hydrology on the ice velocities of Columbia Glacier is already known from the published field measurements during summers of 1987. Our observed variability in its ice velocities on a seasonal basis also suggest that they are primarily controlled by the seasonal transition of the subglacial drainage system from an inefficient to an efficient and channelized drainage networks. However, abrupt velocity increase events for short periods (2014–2015 and 2015–2016 at the main branch, and 2013–2014 at the west branch) appear to be associated with strong near-front thinning and frontal retreat. This needs further investigation on the role of other potential controlling mechanisms. On the technological side, this study demonstrates the potential of high-resolution X-band SAR missions with a short revisit interval to examine glaciological variables and controlling processes.

Modeling SAR Images by Using a Pathway Model

Statistical modeling of SAR images is one of the important problems in SAR image interpretation. Several types of theoretical models have been used for modeling various SAR data, most of them being highly effective for some particular land-cover typologies. The K-distribution has been used as a flexible tool for the modeling of SAR data over the non-homogeneous areas. In this paper, we examine a q-analogue of the gamma model. The new parameter q makes the density function very flexible for modeling purposes. This q-analogue also produces an extension of the K-distribution. The performance of the extended K model is tested on high-resolution X-band SAR image and compared the result with respect to the K-distribution.

Characteristics of Surface Deformation Detected by X-band SAR Interferometry over Sichuan-Tibet Grid Connection Project Area, China

The Sichuan-Tibet grid connection project is a national key project implemented in accordance with the developmental needs of Tibet and the living requirements of 700 thousand local residents. It is the first grid project with special high voltage that passes through eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. The ground deformation due to widely distributed landslides and debris flow in this area is the major concern to the safety of the project. The multi-temporal interferometry technique is applied to retrieve the surface deformation information using high resolution X-band SAR imagery. The time series of surface deformation is obtained through the sequential high spatial and temporal resolution TerraSAR images (20 scenes of X-band TerraSAR SLC images acquired from 5 January 2014 to 12 December 2014). The results have been correlated with the permafrost activities and intensive precipitation. They show that the study area is prone to slow to moderate ground motion with the range of −30 to +30 mm/year. Seasonal movement is observed due to the freeze-thaw cycle effect and intensive precipitation weather condition. Typical region analysis suggests that the deformation rate tends to increase dramatically during the late spring and late autumn while slightly during the winter time. The correlations of surface deformations with these two main trigger factors were further discussed. The deformation curves of persistent scatterers in the study area showing the distinct seasonal characteristics coincide well with the effect of freeze-thaw cycle and intensive precipitation. The movement occurring at late spring is dominated by the freeze-thaw cycle which is a common phenomenon in such a high-elevated area as the Tibetan Plateau. Intensive precipitation plays more important role in triggering landsides in the summer season. The combining effect of both factors results in fast slope movement in May. The results also suggest that the movement often occur at the middle to toe part of the slope where the combining effect of freeze-thaw cycle and precipitation plays an important role. Therefore the majority of transmission towers are not threatened significantly by geological hazards since they are located on the higher elevation which is beyond the boundary of slope movement. The comparison between field observations and the persistent scatterers interferometry (PSI) results reveals good agreement in obvious deformation accumulations. High uncertainty still exists due to issue of SAR imagery quality and the persistent scatterers interferometry technique. Nevertheless, this study provides an insight into understanding the characteristics of ground movement trend in the complicated eastern Tibet area.

First Results of Monitoring Nature Conservation Sites in Alpine Region by Using Very High Resolution (VHR) X-Band SAR Data

The exploitation of X-band imagery is currently being used in the field of agriculture for the discrimination of crop types and is also recently addressed for challenging tasks such as surface roughness and soil moisture retrieval. We investigated the potential of multi-temporal COSMO-SkyMed data for the monitoring of Natura 2000 habitats in alpine region. Short revisit time of currently available VHR synthetic aperture radar instruments (like TerraSAR-X, COSMO-SkyMed etc.) and their all-weather (day/night) image acquisition capability provides an additional advantage of continuous monitoring of nature conservation sites in particular which are small in size. Preliminary analysis of VV and VH signals indicates a predominant effect of attenuation with respect to the volume contribution as expected in case of X-band for the reduced penetration capabilities in the canopy. Significant changes in the VV signals are mainly ascribed to grazing/mowing event which reduces the canopy layer and then the signal attenuation. The final results are in agreement with the ancillary data (Normalized Vegetation Index (NDVI)) and management rule record for Natura 2000 habitats present in the alpine region.

고해상도 SAR 영상을 이용한 도심지 건물 재구성

The monitoring of urban area, target detection and building reconstruction have been actively studied and investigated since high resolution X-band SAR images could be acquired by airborne and/or satellite SAR systems. This paper describes an efficient approach to reconstruct artificial structures (e.g. apartment, building and house) in urban area using high resolution X-band SAR images. Building footprint was first extracted from 1:25,000 digital topographic map and then a corner line of building was detected by an automatic detecting algorithm. With SAR amplitude images, an initial building height was calculated by the length of layover estimated using KS-test (Kolmogorov-Smirnov test) from the corner line. The interferometric SAR phases were simulated depending on SAR geometry and changable building heights ranging from -10 m to +10 m of the initial building height. With an interferogram from real SAR data set, the simulation results were compared using the method of the phase consistency. One of results can be finally defined as the reconstructed building height. The developed algorithm was applied to repeatpass TerraSAR-X spotlight mode data set over an apartment complex in Daejeon city, Korea. The final building heights were validated against reference heights extracted from LiDAR DSM, with an RMSE (Root Mean Square Error) of about 1~2m.

Observing floods from space: Experience gained from COSMO-SkyMed observations

The COSMO-SkyMed mission offers a unique opportunity to obtain all weather radar images characterized by short revisit time, thus being useful for flood evolution mapping. The COSMO-SkyMed system has been activated several times in the last few years in occasion of flood events all over the world in order to provide very high resolution X-band SAR images useful for flood detection purposes. This paper discusses the major outcomes of the experience gained, within the framework of the OPERA Pilot Project funded by the Italian Space Agency, from using COSMO-SkyMed data for the purpose of near real time generation of flood maps. A review of the mechanisms which determine the imprints of the inundation on the radar images and of the fundamental simulation tools able to predict these imprints and help image interpretation is provided. The approach developed to process the data and to generate the flood maps is also summarized. Then, the paper illustrates the experience gained with COSMO-SkyMed by describing and discussing a number of significant examples. These examples demonstrate the potential of the COSMO-SkyMed system and the suitability of the approach developed for generating the final products, but they also highlight some critical aspects that require further investigations to improve the reliability of the flood maps.

X-band PSInSAR를 위한 고정산란체 추출 및 네트워크 분석 기법

The high-resolution X-band SAR systems such as COSMO-SkyMED and TerraSAR-X have been launched recently. In addition KOMPSAT-5 will be launched in the early of 2012. In this study we developed the new method for persistent scatterer candidate (PSC) selection and network construction, which is more suitable for PSInSAR analysis using multi-temporal X-band SAR data. PSC selection consists in two main steps: first, selection of initial PSCs based on amplitude dispersion index, mean amplitude, mean coherence. second, selection of final PSCs based on temporal coherence directly estimated from network analysis of initial PSCs. To increase the stability of network the Multi- TIN and complex network for non-urban area were addressed as well. The proposed algorithm was applied to twenty-one TerraSAR-X SAR of New Orleans. As a result many PSs were successfully extracted even in non-urban area. This research can be used as the practical application of KOMPSAT-5 for surface displacement monitoring using X-band PSInSAR.

Monitoring and Validation of Inundation Areas Caused by The Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami 2011 With a High Resolution X-band SAR Satellite

[in Japanese]