Forest Height Estimation Using Multibaseline PolInSAR and Sparse Lidar Data Fusion

We demonstrate a method using lidar data fusion to improve the forest height estimation accuracy of multibaseline polarimetric synthetic aperture radar interferometry (PolInSAR). Compared to single-baseline PolInSAR, multibaseline PolInSAR allows forest canopy height to be estimated more accurately across a wider range of height values. However, to arrive at a single forest height estimate, the estimates from the multiple baselines must be selected or weighted. A number of approaches to selecting between baselines have been proposed in the literature, but they are generally based on simple metrics of the PolInSAR data and do not necessarily capture the full range of characteristics that make one baseline produce more accurate forest height estimates than another. We solve this problem by treating baseline selection as a supervised classification problem that can be trained using a small amount of sparse lidar data located within the PolInSAR coverage area. We train a support vector machine classifier using a variety of coarse lidar sample spacings of 250 m and greater, to demonstrate that data from future spaceborne lidar missions will be sufficient for this purpose. We demonstrate results for multiple study areas in the country of Gabon using data collected by NASA's uninhabited aerial vehicle synthetic aperture radar and land, vegetation, and ice sensor lidar. The use of lidar fusion for PolInSAR baseline selection yields improved results compared to standard baseline selection methods, and further demonstrates the strong potential of PolInSAR and lidar fusion for remote sensing of forests.