A Perspective of Synthetic Aperture Radar for Remote Sensing.
Abstract
Because of its unique capability for providing good resolution in the cross-range, as well as range dimension, synthetic aperture radar has proven to be of considerable interest for remote-sensing applications over both the land and the sea. In this tutorial report the characteristics and capabilities of synthetic aperture radar are discussed so as to identify those features particularly unique to SAR. Brief comparison is made between SAR and optical images. SAR is an example of a radar that provides more information about a target than simply its location. It is the spatial resolution and imaging capability of SAR that has made its application of interest, especially from spaceborne platforms. However, for maximum utility to remote sensing, it has been proposed that other information be extracted from SAR data, such as the cross section and the variation of cross section with frequency and polarization. Several of the special problem areas that might possibly limit the utility of SAR are mentioned, such as complexity, swath and resolution, image interpretation, need for calibration, EMC, as well as the handling of the large amounts of data generated from remote sensing applications. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 1978
- Accession Number
- ADA058356
Entities
People
- Merrill I. Skolnik
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory