Interferometria SAR aplicada

Generación de Modelo Digital de Terreno; desde la

selección de imágenes hasta la validación

Octobre 2013 1
 Earth observation & Remote Sensing

Octobre 2013 2
 SAR imagery

Octobre 2013 3
 Remote sensing basics
• Definition:
✓ Non-destructive observation of an object
• To infer object characteristics in answer to an external
stimulus
✓ Remote Sensing applied to Earth Observation aims to extract a
given scene parameter from the detected signal transmitted by
the scene toward a sensor in answer to an “illuminating” signal
• The detector may be chosen to be sensitive to very different
wavelengths or wave bands depending on the parameter(s) to
extract
✓ Earth observation systems use electromagnetic wave signals

Octobre 2013 4
 Remote sensing basics
• If the sensor uses an external illumination source, the system is said
passive:

ENVISAT MERIS acquisition of Santiago area

Octobre 2013 5
 Remote sensing basics
➡ Passive observation
✓ Observe intrinsic object radiation/emission
✓ Use solar illumination
‣ Spectral analysis

Octobre 2013 6
 Remote sensing basics
• If the sensor illuminates itself the observed scene, the system is said
active:

ERS SAR acquisition of Peninsula Valdez

Octobre 2013 7
 Remote sensing basics
➡ Active observation
✓ Allows observing the scene response to a known stimuli
‣ polarimetric analysis
‣ Observation at some predefined wavelengths

Octobre 2013 8
 Remote sensing basics
• What do we observe with respect
to used wavelength?
➡ X-Ray and far UV:
crystallographic structure, inner
shell electronic transitions in
atoms
➡ Near UV and visible: outer shell
electronic transitions in atoms
➡ IR: Molecular energy levels
(vibrational and rotational energy
levels)
➡ Microwave: Macroscopic structure
of the medium

Octobre 2013 9
 Earth observation
• Orbits:
✓ Polar
• To take advantage of Earth rotation to observe all the Earth
surface.
• Allows observing a scene repetitively, always at the same
local time.
✓ Sun Synchronous
• To observe a given area always at the same solar time
• To ensure power supply through solar illumination

Octobre 2013 10
 Earth Observation & Remote Sensing
• Satellite radar remote sensing main characteristics:
✓ Global coverage at repeated cycle
✓ Insensitivity (or nearly...) to cloud coverage ➫ All weather
✓ Insensitivity to external illumination
✓ High sensitivity - large dynamic
✓ Very large area coverage
• With respect to optic:
✓ Day and night ➫ X2
✓ All weather ➫ X5

Octobre 2013 11
 All weather example

11h25 10h43

ERS Landsat
Waterford (Ireland)
Octobre 2013 12
 All weather example

ERS image
of French
Guyana

Octobre 2013 13