Exploring Diverse Polarimetric Information Contents from SAR Data

This paper evaluates three target descriptors derived from full-polarimetric SAR data. A 2 × 1 real positive target vector is defined for coherent targets based on the mean and standard deviation of complex eigenvalues of the 2 × 2 Sinclair matrix. This vector is the basis for a novel scattering-type parameter that effectively distinguishes canonical targets. In the case of incoherent targets, the scattering purity and complexity parameters are characterized using the mean and standard deviation of real positive eigenvalues from a Hermitian positive semi-definite 3 × 3 coherency (covariance) matrix. The paper demonstrates the effectiveness of these parameters through experimental analysis involving a mixture of canonical targets and further evaluates their performance using Radarsat-2 full-polarimetric SAR data.