1. Forest Assessment Using High Resolution SAR Data in X-Band
- Author
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Roland Perko, Hannes Raggam, Janik Deutscher, Karlheinz Gutjahr, and Mathias Schardt
- Subjects
SAR ,high resolution ,X-band ,forestry ,mapping ,radargrammetry ,classification ,DSM/DTM ,Science - Abstract
Novel radar satellite missions also include sensors operating in X-band at very high resolution. The presented study reports methodologies, algorithms and results on forest assessment utilizing such X-band satellite images, namely from TerraSAR-X and COSMO-SkyMed sensors. The proposed procedures cover advanced stereo-radargrammetric and interferometric data processing, as well as image segmentation and image classification. A core methodology is the multi-image matching concept for digital surface modeling based on geometrically constrained matching. Validation of generated surface models is made through comparison with LiDAR data, resulting in a standard deviation height error of less than 2 meters over forest. Image classification of forest regions is then based on X-band backscatter information, a canopy height model and interferometric coherence information yielding a classification accuracy above 90%. Such information is then directly used to extract forest border lines. High resolution X-band sensors deliver imagery that can be used for automatic forest assessment on a large scale.
- Published
- 2011
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