The simulation of geometric distortion in a synthetic aperture radar image of Alpine terrain

Due to the viewing geometry of a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) any imaged point not on the surface datum will be distorted, and will appear to lean towards the sensor's ground track. The higher the point, the greater the distortion. The position of the point within the image swath also has an effect on the resultant distortion. This distortion was quantified, using a curved Earth model. The results showed that a point, in mid-swath, 500 metres above sea level, imaged by the ERS-1 SAR, would be displaced by 1176 metres, 39 pixels, in the direction of the satellite ground track.