Calibration of SAR Polarimetric Images by Means of a Covariance Matching Approach

In this paper, a numerical method optimizer based on covariance matching is proposed for synthetic aperture radar (SAR) polarimetric calibration. The method makes use of the information provided by a distributed target and a corner reflector in order to jointly estimate the system polarimetric distortion parameters and the Faraday rotation. A preliminary analysis is conducted to show the expected accuracy values and to identify the intrinsic ambiguities of the problem. Results from simulations are shown to assess the accuracy and convergence of the method. Finally, tests have been conducted on stack of repeated full polarimetric ALOS PALSAR images to check the stability of the retrieved distortion parameters in a realistic case.

[1]  Fuk K. Li,et al.  Symmetry properties in polarimetric remote sensing , 1992 .

[2]  Masanobu Shimada,et al.  Model-Based Polarimetric SAR Calibration Method Using Forest and Surface-Scattering Targets , 2011, IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing.

[3]  Weizu Xiong.  Polarimetric Calibration Using a Genetic Algorithm , 2007, IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters.

[4]  Xiaoqing Pi,et al.  CALIBRATION OF PALSAR POLARIMETRIC DATA , 2009 .

[5]  Sassan Saatchi,et al.  On the detection of Faraday rotation in linearly polarized L-band SAR backscatter signatures , 2004, IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing.

[6]  Masanobu Shimada,et al.  Polarimetric PALSAR Calibration , 2009, IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing.

[7]  Thomas L. Ainsworth,et al.  Assessment of System Polarization Quality for Polarimetric SAR Imagery and Target Decomposition , 2011, IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing.

[8]  Shaun Quegan,et al.  Calibration of Spaceborne Linearly Polarized Low Frequency SAR Using Polarimetric Selective Radar Calibrators , 2011 .

[9]  Kamal Sarabandi.  Calibration of a polarimetric synthetic aperture radar using a known distributed target , 1994, IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote. Sens..

[10]  Shaun Quegan,et al.  Improved Estimators of Faraday Rotation in Spaceborne Polarimetric SAR Data , 2010, IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters.

[11]  Anthony Freeman,et al.  Calibration of linearly polarized polarimetric SAR data subject to Faraday rotation , 2004, IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing.

[12]  Björn E. Ottersten,et al.  Covariance Matching Estimation Techniques for Array Signal Processing Applications , 1998, Digit. Signal Process..

[13]  Irena Hajnsek,et al.  Improvement of polarimetric SAR calibration based on the Quegan algorithm , 2004, IGARSS 2004. 2004 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium.

[14]  Stefano Tebaldini,et al.  Model Based SAR Tomography of Forested Areas , 2008, IGARSS 2008 - 2008 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium.

[15]  Shaun Quegan,et al.  Faraday rotation effects on L-band spaceborne SAR data , 2003, IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote. Sens..

[16]  Hajime Fukuchi,et al.  Verification of Polarimetric Calibration Method Including Faraday Rotation Compensation Using PALSAR Data , 2009, IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing.

[17]  T. W. Anderson,et al.  An Introduction to Multivariate Statistical Analysis , 1959 .

[18]  J. Schmee.  An Introduction to Multivariate Statistical Analysis , 1986 .

[19]  Shaun Quegan,et al.  A unified algorithm for phase and cross-talk calibration of polarimetric data-theory and observations , 1994, IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote. Sens..

[20]  Hiroshi Kimura,et al.  Calibration of Polarimetric PALSAR Imagery Affected by Faraday Rotation Using Polarization Orientation , 2009, IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing.

[21]  Konstantinos Papathanassiou,et al.  Faraday Rotation Estimation Performance Analysis , 2010 .

[22]  Björn E. Ottersten,et al.  Low-complexity estimators for distributed sources , 2000, IEEE Trans. Signal Process..

[23]  Ridha Touzi,et al.  High-Precision Assessment and Calibration of Polarimetric RADARSAT-2 SAR Using Transponder Measurements , 2013, IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing.

[24]  Carlos López-Martínez,et al.  Analysis and improvement of polarimetric calibration techniques , 2007, 2007 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium.