Synthetic aperture radar for search and rescue: polarimetry and interferometry

The use of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) provides an opportunity to assist search and rescue in the location of downed airplanes in particular in the northern areas of Canada. This paper presents results of examining the detection of crashed aircraft targets using airborne SAR data. Considerations for decreasing the number of "false targets" using a combined polarimetric and interferometric analysis have been tested with results indicating a promising approach for target detection using these SAR techniques.