Earth observation using radar data: an overview of applications and challenges

Abstract The first pictures of the earth were taken from a balloon in the mid-19th century and thus started ‘earth observation’. Aerial missions in the 20th century enabled the build-up of outstanding photographic libraries and then with Landsat-1, the first civilian satellite launched in 1972, digital images of the earth became an operational reality. The main roles of earth observation have become scientific, economic and strategic, and the role of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is significant in this overall framework. Radar image exploitation has matured and several operational programs regularly use SAR data for input and numerous applications are being further developed. The technological development of interferometry and polarimetry has helped further develop these radar based applications. This paper highlights this role through a description of actual applications and projects, and concludes with a discussion of some challenges for which SAR systems may provide significant assistance.

[1]  Salvatore Stramondo,et al.  Inflation rate of the Colli Albani volcanic complex retrieved by the permanent scatterers SAR interferometry technique , 2004 .

[2]  Paul A. Rosen,et al.  Aseismic creep along the San Andreas Fault northwest of Parkfield, CA measured by radar interferometry , 1998 .

[3]  Eric Pottier,et al.  An entropy based classification scheme for land applications of polarimetric SAR , 1997, IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote. Sens..

[4]  Merete Badger,et al.  Wind energy applications of synthetic aperture radar , 2006 .

[5]  Stephen L. Durden,et al.  Modeling and observation of the radar polarization signature of forested areas , 1989 .

[6]  E. Löffler,et al.  OPTIMISED MAPPING OF FLOOD EXTENT AND FLOODPLAIN STRUCTURES BY RADAR EO-METHODS , 2004 .

[7]  Zhong Lu,et al.  Synthetic aperture radar interferometry of Okmok volcano, Alaska: radar observations , 2000 .

[8]  K. Feigl,et al.  Coseismic interferograms of two MS=6.6 earthquakes in the South Iceland Seismic Zone, June 2000 , 2001 .

[9]  Masanobu Shimada,et al.  An L-band geophysical model function for SAR wind retrieval using JERS-1 SAR , 2003, IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote. Sens..

[10]  Paul Segall,et al.  Post-earthquake ground movements correlated to pore-pressure transients , 2003, Nature.

[11]  H. Zebker,et al.  Widespread uplift and ‘trapdoor’ faulting on Galápagos volcanoes observed with radar interferometry , 2000, Nature.

[12]  Fawwaz Ulaby,et al.  Relating Polaization Phase Difference of SAR Signals to Scene Properties , 1987, IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing.

[13]  Ian Joughin,et al.  Observations of ice‐sheet motion in Greenland using satellite radar interferometry , 1995 .

[14]  Ian R. Joughin,et al.  Interferometric estimation of three-dimensional ice-flow using ascending and descending passes , 1998, IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote. Sens..

[15]  D. Mason,et al.  Flood boundary delineation from Synthetic Aperture Radar imagery using a statistical active contour model , 2001 .

[16]  Urs Wegmüller,et al.  Retrieval of vegetation parameters with SAR interferometry , 1997, IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote. Sens..

[17]  R. Colombo,et al.  Integration of remote sensing data and GIS for accurate mapping of flooded areas , 2002 .

[18]  A. Giraldez.  SAOCOM – 1 ARGENTINA L BAND SAR MISSION OVERVIEW , 2003 .

[19]  Kevin B. Smith,et al.  Analysis of space-borne SAR data for wetland mapping in Virginia riparian ecosystems , 2001 .

[20]  Stefania Monni,et al.  Improvements in flood monitoring by means of interferometric coherence , 2000, SPIE Remote Sensing.

[21]  Monitoring land surface subsidence using radar interferometry: The challenges , 2006 .

[22]  T. Wright,et al.  Toward mapping surface deformation in three dimensions using InSAR , 2004 .

[23]  Ron Kwok,et al.  Ice flow of Humboldt, Petermann and Ryder Gletscher, northern Greenland , 1999, Journal of Glaciology.

[24]  Emanuele Santi,et al.  Mapping of flooding in the Alessandria area with ERS , 2004, IGARSS 2004. 2004 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium.

[25]  Eric Rignot,et al.  North and northeast Greenland ice discharge from satellite radar interferometry , 1997 .

[26]  F. M. Henderson,et al.  Environmental factors and the detection of open surface water areas with X-band radar imagery , 1995 .

[27]  B. Brisco,et al.  The effect of soil and crop residue characteristics on polarimetric radar response , 2002 .

[28]  Haydee Karszenbaum,et al.  Influence of Flood Conditions and Vegetation Status on the Radar Backscatter of Wetland Ecosystems , 2001 .

[29]  D. Agnew,et al.  The complete (3‐D) surface displacement field in the epicentral area of the 1999 MW7.1 Hector Mine Earthquake, California, from space geodetic observations , 2001 .

[30]  Fabio Rocca,et al.  Dynamics of Slow-Moving Landslides from Permanent Scatterer Analysis , 2004, Science.

[31]  Ron Kwok,et al.  Measurement of ice-sheet topography using satellite-radar interferometry , 1996 .

[32]  Philip A. Townsend,et al.  Relationships between forest structure and the detection of flood inundation in forested wetlands using C-band SAR , 2002 .

[33]  Irena Hajnsek,et al.  MAPSAR: A small L-band SAR mission for land observation , 2005 .

[34]  Christophe Delacourt,et al.  Potential and Limitation of ERS-Differential SAR Interferometry for Landslides Studies in the French Alps and Pyrenees , 2004 .

[35]  W. A. Gambling,et al.  General Assembly of the International Union of Radio Science , 1982 .

[36]  Paul D. Bates,et al.  Waterline mapping in flooded vegetation from airborne SAR imagery , 2003 .

[37]  F. Ulaby,et al.  Active Microwave Soil Moisture Research , 1986, IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing.

[38]  Philip A. Townsend,et al.  Mapping Seasonal Flooding in Forested Wetlands Using Multi-Temporal Radarsat SAR , 2001 .

[39]  Gerald W. Bawden,et al.  Tectonic contraction across Los Angeles after removal of groundwater pumping effects , 2001, Nature.

[40]  R. Goldstein,et al.  Satellite Radar Interferometry for Monitoring Ice Sheet Motion: Application to an Antarctic Ice Stream , 1993, Science.

[41]  T. Wright,et al.  Measurement of interseismic strain accumulation across the North Anatolian Fault by satellite radar interferometry , 2001 .

[42]  Simonetta Paloscia,et al.  A summary of experimental results to assess the contribution of SAR for mapping vegetation biomass and soil moisture , 2002 .

[43]  T. J. Pultz,et al.  Case studies demonstrating the hydrological applications of C-band multipolarized and polarimetric SAR , 2004 .

[44]  K. Feigl,et al.  Coseismic and Postseismic Fault Slip for the 17 August 1999, M = 7.5, Izmit, Turkey Earthquake. , 2000, Science.

[45]  H. McNairn,et al.  Applying polarimetric radar imagery for mapping the productivity of wheat crops , 2004 .

[46]  Ronald Kwok,et al.  Ice sheet motion and topography from radar interferometry , 1996, IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote. Sens..

[47]  J. V. Zyl.  Overview of SAR polarimetry and interferometry , 1997 .

[48]  Johan J. Mohr,et al.  Three-dimensional glacial flow and surface elevation measured with radar interferometry , 1998, Nature.

[49]  Michael Eineder.  Interferometric DEM Reconstruction of Alpine Areas – Experiences with SRTM Data and Improved Strategies for Future Missions , 2005 .

[50]  Nicholas C. Coops,et al.  Eucalypt forest structure and synthetic aperture radar backscatter: a theoretical analysis , 2001, Trees.

[51]  Fabio Rocca,et al.  SAR monitoring of progressive and seasonal ground deformation using the permanent scatterers technique , 2003, IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote. Sens..

[52]  B. Scheuchl,et al.  Automated sea ice classification using spaceborne polarimetric SAR data , 2001, IGARSS 2001. Scanning the Present and Resolving the Future. Proceedings. IEEE 2001 International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (Cat. No.01CH37217).

[53]  Hari Shanker Srivastava,et al.  Application potentials of synthetic aperture radar interferometry for land-cover mapping and crop-height estimation , 2006 .

[54]  Ian G. Cumming,et al.  Potential of RADARSAT-2 for sea ice classification , 2002, IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium.

[55]  Fabio Rocca,et al.  Monitoring landslides and tectonic motions with the Permanent Scatterers Technique , 2003 .

[56]  G. Hasselmans,et al.  Mapping of seabed topography to and from SAR , 1997 .