A new GLRT-based ship detection technique in SAR images

This paper introduces a novel technique for ship-detection with Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery based on the Generalized Likelihood Ratio Test (GLRT). Firstly, a suitable probability density function for a canonical ship is computed from the adoption of scattering models within the Geometrical Optic (GO) solution. Secondly, the GLRT is derived and the detector performance computed through Monte Carlo simulations. Finally, the GLRT technique is compared to the CFAR (Constant False Alarm Rate) algorithm in terms of ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic) curves and computational load.