Bennett, AJ;
(2007)
The characteristics of hard targets in SAR imagery.
Doctoral thesis , UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
The exploitation of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data for remote sensing and intelligence gathering purposes over complex terrains (such as urban areas) is a relatively immature subject. In this thesis, the detection and recognition of targets of military interest within urban areas is addressed. Such 'hard targets' may be vehicles or particular manmade structures within a scene (as opposed to geographical features or flora). Those techniques investigated can be divided into three areas building height extraction, urban SAR exploitation and polarimetric assisted target recognition. Theoretical performance limitations of interferometric SAR and shadow/layover analysis for building height extraction were derived and validated using example airborne data. Techniques to assist analysts exploit SAR data over urban areas were developed and demonstrated. A post image formation matched filter enabled scatterers with non uniform frequency and aspect angle responses to be categorised in wide bandwidth SAR imagery. Sub-aperture movies allowed the velocity of a moving target and the structure of a building's roof to be determined. The direction of multipath responses in squinted SAR was characterised. Additionally, modelling software enabled an assessment of the impact of radar shadowing on urban exploitation as a function of collection geometry, radar mode and terrain type. Polarimetric features were shown to aid the task of target recognition and temporal and between class stabilities were quantified using example inverse SAR turntable imagery. To polarimetrically calibrate this data, a generalised distortion model was derived together with the development and demonstration of a Fourier method for the determination of calibration parameters using a rotating dihedral.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Title: | The characteristics of hard targets in SAR imagery |
| Identifier: | PQ ETD:593570 |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Thesis digitised by ProQuest. |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1446235 |
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