Simulation model and performance analysis of a three-antenna InSAR system

A three-antenna SAR interferometer (InSAR) with a statistically optimal data processor for 3-D terrain mapping has been previously proposed to reduce the phase ambiguity and data noise drawbacks of the conventional SAR interferometry technique. We present a statistical model to simulate most of the operative conditions of the new system on realistic scenes. The phase unwrapping procedure is included in the simulator to compare the new and the conventional technique in terms of both phase and height estimation accuracy. Then the performance achievable by a three-antenna airborne InSAR system on a given site is analysed, and the parameter optimisation of the new system is investigated. It is shown that the new technique can significantly outperform the conventional one for a typical airborne configuration. It provides reduced phase aliasing and better estimation accuracy. So, the phase unwrapping is simplified and high quality maps of terrain height can be obtained.