Abstract:
Spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) offers great potential for the measurement of ground traffic flows. A SAR with multiple receiving apertures aligned in flight di...Show MoreMetadata
Abstract:
Spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) offers great potential for the measurement of ground traffic flows. A SAR with multiple receiving apertures aligned in flight direction repeatedly images the same ground area with a short time lag. This allows for an effective detection of moving ground objects, whose range variation translates into an interferometric phase signal between the receiving channels. The high-resolution German SAR satellite TerraSAR-X offers several ways to create multiple along-track apertures. We exploit this to demonstrate satellite-based traffic-flow measurements using along-track interferometry (ATI) and Displaced Phase Center Array techniques. In this paper, we address the usage of different TerraSAR-X ATI modes for data acquisition and describe an automatic near-real-time processing chain for the extraction of traffic information. The performance of this TerraSAR-X traffic processor is significantly driven by incorporating a priori knowledge of road networks. We present examples of automatic traffic detection as well as empirical evaluations thereof using different kind of reference data.
Published in: IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing ( Volume: 48, Issue: 2, February 2010)
German Aerospace Center, Wessling, Germany
Steffen Suchandt received the Dipl.-Ing. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany, in 1995.
From 1996 to 1998, he worked in the field of biomedical engineering. Since 1998, he has been a Scientific Employee with the Remote Sensing Technology Institute, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Wessling, Germany, where he has been working on numerous aspects of interferometric SAR processing. H...Show More
Steffen Suchandt received the Dipl.-Ing. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany, in 1995.
From 1996 to 1998, he worked in the field of biomedical engineering. Since 1998, he has been a Scientific Employee with the Remote Sensing Technology Institute, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Wessling, Germany, where he has been working on numerous aspects of interferometric SAR processing. H...View more
German Aerospace Center, Wessling, Germany
Hartmut Runge received the Dipl.-Ing. degree in electrical engineering/communications from the University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany, in 1980.
Since that time, he has been a Staff Member with the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Wessling, Germany, working on various aspects of SAR data processing and applications. He was the Systems Engineer for the Processing and Archiving Facility for the X-SAR missions in 1996 and the Pro...Show More
Hartmut Runge received the Dipl.-Ing. degree in electrical engineering/communications from the University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany, in 1980.
Since that time, he has been a Staff Member with the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Wessling, Germany, working on various aspects of SAR data processing and applications. He was the Systems Engineer for the Processing and Archiving Facility for the X-SAR missions in 1996 and the Pro...View more
German Aerospace Center, Wessling, Germany
Helko Breit received the Diploma degree in electrical and telecommunication science from the Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany, in 1990.
He joined the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Wessling, Germany, in 1990, where he is currently supervising the SAR processor development team in the Remote Sensing Technology Institute. He has worked on a variety of international missions including SIR-C/X-SAR, SRTM/X-SAR, a...Show More
Helko Breit received the Diploma degree in electrical and telecommunication science from the Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany, in 1990.
He joined the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Wessling, Germany, in 1990, where he is currently supervising the SAR processor development team in the Remote Sensing Technology Institute. He has worked on a variety of international missions including SIR-C/X-SAR, SRTM/X-SAR, a...View more
German Aerospace Center, Wessling, Germany
Ulrich Steinbrecher received the Dipl.-Ing. degree in electrical engineering/communication from the University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany, in 1990.
In that year, he started his career with the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Wessling, Germany, with the development of a SAR raw data simulator. Then, he worked in software development for the X-SAR Processor for the joint U.S.–Italian–German SIR-C/X-SAR Missions in 1994. When ...Show More
Ulrich Steinbrecher received the Dipl.-Ing. degree in electrical engineering/communication from the University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany, in 1990.
In that year, he started his career with the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Wessling, Germany, with the development of a SAR raw data simulator. Then, he worked in software development for the X-SAR Processor for the joint U.S.–Italian–German SIR-C/X-SAR Missions in 1994. When ...View more
German Aerospace Center, Wessling, Germany
Alexander Kotenkov received the Diploma degree in electrical engineering/communications from the Kharkov University of Radioelectronics, Kharkov, Ukraine, in 2001.
From 2002 to 2006, he worked in the field of operational airborne SAR support, development, and data processing. Currently, he is a Scientific Employee with the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Wessling, Germany, where he is working on the development of the autom...Show More
Alexander Kotenkov received the Diploma degree in electrical engineering/communications from the Kharkov University of Radioelectronics, Kharkov, Ukraine, in 2001.
From 2002 to 2006, he worked in the field of operational airborne SAR support, development, and data processing. Currently, he is a Scientific Employee with the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Wessling, Germany, where he is working on the development of the autom...View more
German Aerospace Center, Wessling, Germany
Ulrich Balss was born in Bad Homburg, Germany, in 1967. He received the Diploma degree in physics and the Dr. phil. nat. degree from Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany, in 1994 and 2004, respectively.
In 2003, he joined the scientific staff of the Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany. Since then, within the framework of a cooperation of the Technical University Munich and the German Aerospace Cen...Show More
Ulrich Balss was born in Bad Homburg, Germany, in 1967. He received the Diploma degree in physics and the Dr. phil. nat. degree from Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany, in 1994 and 2004, respectively.
In 2003, he joined the scientific staff of the Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany. Since then, within the framework of a cooperation of the Technical University Munich and the German Aerospace Cen...View more
Contents German Aerospace Center, Wessling, Germany
Steffen Suchandt received the Dipl.-Ing. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany, in 1995.
From 1996 to 1998, he worked in the field of biomedical engineering. Since 1998, he has been a Scientific Employee with the Remote Sensing Technology Institute, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Wessling, Germany, where he has been working on numerous aspects of interferometric SAR processing. He was engaged in data calibration, processor development, and digital-elevation-model processing of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. His current work is focused on the development of an automatic traffic information extraction system for TerraSAR-X data. Further activities include research on inland river current measurements using airborne SAR. He has wide experience in SAR interferometry, ground moving target indication, signal processing, and software development.
Steffen Suchandt received the Dipl.-Ing. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany, in 1995.
From 1996 to 1998, he worked in the field of biomedical engineering. Since 1998, he has been a Scientific Employee with the Remote Sensing Technology Institute, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Wessling, Germany, where he has been working on numerous aspects of interferometric SAR processing. He was engaged in data calibration, processor development, and digital-elevation-model processing of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. His current work is focused on the development of an automatic traffic information extraction system for TerraSAR-X data. Further activities include research on inland river current measurements using airborne SAR. He has wide experience in SAR interferometry, ground moving target indication, signal processing, and software development.View more
German Aerospace Center, Wessling, Germany
Hartmut Runge received the Dipl.-Ing. degree in electrical engineering/communications from the University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany, in 1980.
Since that time, he has been a Staff Member with the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Wessling, Germany, working on various aspects of SAR data processing and applications. He was the Systems Engineer for the Processing and Archiving Facility for the X-SAR missions in 1996 and the Project Manager of the X-SAR data processing subsystem for the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission in 2000. Furthermore, he was the Principal Investigator for the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission along-track interferometry (ATI) experiments and pioneered the measurement of moving objects like cars and ocean currents from a spaceborne sensor. He worked on concepts for a close satellite formation flight for ATI. For six months, he was dispatched to the Toulouse space center of the Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES) for the Cartwheel project and formed a joint DLR/CNES research team. He initiated the implementation of an ATI mode on TerraSAR-X and is currently the Project Manager of the “TerraSAR-X Traffic Monitoring Project.”
Hartmut Runge received the Dipl.-Ing. degree in electrical engineering/communications from the University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany, in 1980.
Since that time, he has been a Staff Member with the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Wessling, Germany, working on various aspects of SAR data processing and applications. He was the Systems Engineer for the Processing and Archiving Facility for the X-SAR missions in 1996 and the Project Manager of the X-SAR data processing subsystem for the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission in 2000. Furthermore, he was the Principal Investigator for the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission along-track interferometry (ATI) experiments and pioneered the measurement of moving objects like cars and ocean currents from a spaceborne sensor. He worked on concepts for a close satellite formation flight for ATI. For six months, he was dispatched to the Toulouse space center of the Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES) for the Cartwheel project and formed a joint DLR/CNES research team. He initiated the implementation of an ATI mode on TerraSAR-X and is currently the Project Manager of the “TerraSAR-X Traffic Monitoring Project.”View more
German Aerospace Center, Wessling, Germany
Helko Breit received the Diploma degree in electrical and telecommunication science from the Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany, in 1990.
He joined the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Wessling, Germany, in 1990, where he is currently supervising the SAR processor development team in the Remote Sensing Technology Institute. He has worked on a variety of international missions including SIR-C/X-SAR, SRTM/X-SAR, and TerraSAR-X (Germany) and for several European Space Agency studies. His current research activities comprise the development of SAR processing algorithms and systems for the TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X missions.
Helko Breit received the Diploma degree in electrical and telecommunication science from the Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany, in 1990.
He joined the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Wessling, Germany, in 1990, where he is currently supervising the SAR processor development team in the Remote Sensing Technology Institute. He has worked on a variety of international missions including SIR-C/X-SAR, SRTM/X-SAR, and TerraSAR-X (Germany) and for several European Space Agency studies. His current research activities comprise the development of SAR processing algorithms and systems for the TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X missions.View more
German Aerospace Center, Wessling, Germany
Ulrich Steinbrecher received the Dipl.-Ing. degree in electrical engineering/communication from the University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany, in 1990.
In that year, he started his career with the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Wessling, Germany, with the development of a SAR raw data simulator. Then, he worked in software development for the X-SAR Processor for the joint U.S.–Italian–German SIR-C/X-SAR Missions in 1994. When the data were in-house, he concentrated on aspects of the operational SAR processing of high data volumes. In 1995, he pioneered a completely automatic SAR processing system based on a robot-maintained mass memory archive. Before he became responsible for the development of the raw data analysis and screening system for the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), he developed the software for a phase-preserving ScanSAR processor for Radarsat-1. In the time between the SRTM mission and the start of the TerraSAR-X project, he left the SAR domain for two years and contributed to the SCIAMACHY LIMB processing system. Since 2002, he has been concerned with the TerraSAR-X radar system, and since the launch of the satellite in 2007, he has been responsible for TerraSAR-X instrument operations.
Ulrich Steinbrecher received the Dipl.-Ing. degree in electrical engineering/communication from the University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany, in 1990.
In that year, he started his career with the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Wessling, Germany, with the development of a SAR raw data simulator. Then, he worked in software development for the X-SAR Processor for the joint U.S.–Italian–German SIR-C/X-SAR Missions in 1994. When the data were in-house, he concentrated on aspects of the operational SAR processing of high data volumes. In 1995, he pioneered a completely automatic SAR processing system based on a robot-maintained mass memory archive. Before he became responsible for the development of the raw data analysis and screening system for the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), he developed the software for a phase-preserving ScanSAR processor for Radarsat-1. In the time between the SRTM mission and the start of the TerraSAR-X project, he left the SAR domain for two years and contributed to the SCIAMACHY LIMB processing system. Since 2002, he has been concerned with the TerraSAR-X radar system, and since the launch of the satellite in 2007, he has been responsible for TerraSAR-X instrument operations.View more
German Aerospace Center, Wessling, Germany
Alexander Kotenkov received the Diploma degree in electrical engineering/communications from the Kharkov University of Radioelectronics, Kharkov, Ukraine, in 2001.
From 2002 to 2006, he worked in the field of operational airborne SAR support, development, and data processing. Currently, he is a Scientific Employee with the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Wessling, Germany, where he is working on the development of the automatic traffic information extraction system for TerraSAR-X data. His area of research interests includes signal processing, ground moving target indication, and software development.
Alexander Kotenkov received the Diploma degree in electrical engineering/communications from the Kharkov University of Radioelectronics, Kharkov, Ukraine, in 2001.
From 2002 to 2006, he worked in the field of operational airborne SAR support, development, and data processing. Currently, he is a Scientific Employee with the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Wessling, Germany, where he is working on the development of the automatic traffic information extraction system for TerraSAR-X data. His area of research interests includes signal processing, ground moving target indication, and software development.View more
German Aerospace Center, Wessling, Germany
Ulrich Balss was born in Bad Homburg, Germany, in 1967. He received the Diploma degree in physics and the Dr. phil. nat. degree from Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany, in 1994 and 2004, respectively.
In 2003, he joined the scientific staff of the Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany. Since then, within the framework of a cooperation of the Technical University Munich and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Wessling, Germany, he has been permanently deputed to the Remote Sensing Technology Institute, DLR. There, he participated in the development of the TerraSAR-X Multimode SAR Processor (TMSP). In particular, he implemented the focusing kernel of the TMSP.
Ulrich Balss was born in Bad Homburg, Germany, in 1967. He received the Diploma degree in physics and the Dr. phil. nat. degree from Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany, in 1994 and 2004, respectively.
In 2003, he joined the scientific staff of the Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany. Since then, within the framework of a cooperation of the Technical University Munich and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Wessling, Germany, he has been permanently deputed to the Remote Sensing Technology Institute, DLR. There, he participated in the development of the TerraSAR-X Multimode SAR Processor (TMSP). In particular, he implemented the focusing kernel of the TMSP.View more
