The Intercomparison of X-Band SAR Images from COSMO-SkyMed and TerraSAR-X Satellites: Case Studies

Remote Sensing

Simone Pettinato¹  Emanuele Santi²  Simonetta Paloscia²  Paolo Pampaloni² 

[1] Institute of Applied Physics “Nello Carrara” (IFAC-CNR), Via Madonna del Piano, 10, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino (FI), Italy;

关键词: Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR);    X-band;    backscattering coefficient;    COSMO-SkyMed;    TerraSAR-X;    soil moisture content;    agricultural areas;    Advanced Integral Equation Model (AIEM);   

DOI  :  10.3390/rs5062928

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

The analysis of experimental data collected by X-band SAR of COSMO-SkyMed (CSK®) and TerraSAR-X (TSX) images on the same surface types has shown significant differences in the signal level of the two sensors. In order to investigate the possibility of combining data from the two instruments, a study was carried out by comparing images collected with similar orbital and sensor parameters (e.g., incidence angle, polarization, look angle) at approximately the same date on two Italian agricultural test sites. Several homogenous agricultural fields within the observed area common to the two sensors were selected. Some forest plots have also been considered and used as a reference target). Direct comparisons were then performed between CSK and TSX images in different acquisition modes. The analysis carried out on the agricultural fields showed that, in general, the backscattering coefficient is higher in TSX Stripmap images with respect to CSK-Himage (about 3 dB), while CSK-Ping Pong data showed values lower than TSX of about 4.8 dB. Finally, a difference in backscattering of about 2.5 dB was pointed out between CSK-Himage and Ping-Pong images on agricultural fields. These results, achieved on bare soils, have also been compared with simulations performed by using the Advanced Integral Equation Model (AIEM).

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2013 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland