Automated mapping and feature extraction using high resolution interferometric synthetic aperture radar data

Two-antenna interferometric SAR instruments acquire SAR data in such a manner that the signals may be combined and processed to extract the elevation of each pixel. In addition to providing a high resolution topographic map of the area, this allows for geometric rectification and automatic map projection of the SAR image. The interferometric coherence may be used to assist in land-use classification which can be further exploited for assisting in automated feature detection and extraction. This paper describes and demonstrates algorithms suitable for automatic generation of map products from interferometric SAR data. The software automatically extracts map elements including land-use polygons, transportation networks, and other features such as buildings, power and communication distribution networks. In addition, estimation of bald earth topography is possible by removing the elevation of features which lie on the surface such as buildings and trees. We present brief algorithmic descriptions and initial results of software designed to rapidly and automatically produce map elements and output map products from input IFSAR data.