IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing

The paper derives a vectorial model for expressing transmitter and receiver trajectories for arbitrary transmitter and receiver motion (nonidentical velocity vectors) in a bistatic synthetic aperture radar constellation. The point target response is first modeled in the space-time domain and then transformed to the frequency domain by the method of stationary phase giving the point target referenc... View full abstract»

The symmetric scattering characterization method (SSCM) has been recently introduced for high-resolution characterization of certain targets under coherent conditions. SSCM is based on the Poincare´ sphere representation, which supports a high-resolution decomposition of symmetric target scattering, as well as assessment and validation of the backscatter coherence. In this paper, the SSCM is... View full abstract»

We propose a classification method suitable for high-resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images over urban areas. When processing SAR images, there is a strong need for statistical models of scattering to take into account multiplicative noise and high dynamics. For instance, the classification process needs to be based on the use of statistics. Our main contribution is the choice of an accu... View full abstract»

Intensity fluctuation of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images, due to speckle and texture, statistically brings series connections of dark pixels. Resolution enhancement of SAR systems can provide texture with correlation properties. In this paper, simulation studies are carried out to investigate the relation between the occurrence of the stochastic dark line features and texture correlation. View full abstract»

A hierarchical stepwise optimization process is developed for polarimetric synthetic aperture radar image segmentation. We show that image segmentation can be viewed as a likelihood approximation problem. The likelihood segment merging criteria are derived using the multivariate complex Gaussian, the Wishart distribution, and the K-distribution. In the presence of spatial texture, the Gaussian-Wis... View full abstract»

Multitemporal satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images are a useful source of information for geophysicists to monitor changing regions. In this paper, a new approach is proposed to extract from multitemporal SAR images two kinds of information: temporal changes (flooded areas, coastline erosion, etc.) and stable spatial features (roads, rivers, etc.). The novelty of the proposed approach i... View full abstract»

Several of the more important endmember-finding algorithms for hyperspectral data are discussed and some of their shortcomings highlighted. A new algorithm - iterated constrained endmembers (ICE) - which attempts to address these shortcomings is introduced. An example of its use is given. There is also a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of normalizing spectra before the application o... View full abstract»

The objectives of this research study was to evaluate the spatiotriangulation applied to multisensor satellite images, which enabled the simultaneous geometric processing of a large number of images and strips together to reduce the control point requirement. The spatiotriangulation is based on the three-dimensional physical models developed for multisensor images at the Canada Centre for Remote S... View full abstract»

Multisensor image registration is needed in a large number of applications of remote sensing imagery. The accuracy achieved with usual methods (manual control points extraction, estimation of an analytical deformation model) is not satisfactory for many applications where a subpixel accuracy for each pixel of the image is needed (change detection or image fusion, for instance). Unfortunately, ther... View full abstract»

Digital elevation models (DEMs) extracted from high-resolution stereo-images (SPOT-5, EROS-A, IKONOS-II, and QuickBird) using a three-dimensional multisensor physical model developed at the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, Natural Resources Canada were evaluated. In a first step, the photogrammetric bundle adjustment was setup for the stereo-images with few accurate ground control points. In a se... View full abstract»

Airborne laser altimetry has the potential to make frequent detailed observations that are important for many aspects of studying land surface processes. However, the uncertainties inherent in airborne laser altimetry data have rarely been well measured. Uncertainty is often specified as generally as 20 cm in elevation and 40 cm planimetric. To better constrain these uncertainties, we present an a... View full abstract»

The potential of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data for retrieving the above-ground and component (e.g., branch, trunk) biomass of mixed-species forests (including woodlands) typical to subtropical Queensland, Australia, was evaluated using a wave scattering model based on that of Durden et al. (1989). The model was parameterized using field data collected for nine forest types, which were select... View full abstract»

Information about the roughness of the ocean surface and related geophysical parameters, such as wind speed, is present in the shape of the code-correlation waveform of forward-scattered Global Positioning System (GPS) signals. A model is developed for the statistics of this waveform to be used in designing retrieval algorithms and predicting their accuracy in the estimation of geophysical paramet... View full abstract»

The paper discusses application of active and passive microwave data for assessment of time and space variations of first-year ice cover. The Caspian and Aral seas are chosen as main study areas. The Caspian Sea evolution is primarily climate driven, while for the Aral Sea there is a mix of anthropic and climate factors. We analyze ice cover conditions using a novel method that combines active and... View full abstract»

We describe an investigation that combines space-based observations of glacier parameters with historical glaciological data derived by traditional means to predict changes in ice extent and volume for the Ak-shirak Range in the interior Tien Shan of Central Asia. A variety of geographic information systems and photogrammetric tools are used to extract glacier outlines, derive of a digital elevati... View full abstract»

The Hydrosphere State Mission (Hydros) is a pathfinder mission in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Earth System Science Pathfinder Program (ESSP). The objective of the mission is to provide exploratory global measurements of the earth's soil moisture at 10-km resolution with two- to three-days revisit and land-surface freeze/thaw conditions at 3-km resolution with one- to t... View full abstract»

The European Space Agency Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission aims at obtaining global maps of soil moisture and sea surface salinity from space for large-scale and climatic studies. It uses an L-band (1400-1427 MHz) Microwave Interferometric Radiometer by Aperture Synthesis to measure brightness temperature of the earth's surface at horizontal and vertical polarizations (Th... View full abstract»

The results from two field experiments in the Mediterranean Sea are used to study the wind speed dependence of brightness temperature at L-band. During the EuroSTARRS airborne experiment, an L-band radiometer made measurements across a large wind speed gradient, enabling us to study this dependence at high wind speed. We compare our results with a two-scale emissivity model using several represent... View full abstract»

A method to estimate the drop size distribution (DSD) parameters for dual-frequency radar observations that does not rely on the surface echoes is proposed. The method adjusts the estimates of attenuation factor at the surface iteratively until these estimates retrieve the reflectivity factors that are equal to the original measured reflectivity factors. In this iteration method, the backward-recu... View full abstract»