Assessing the Benefits of Simulated RADARSAT Constellation Mission Polarimetry Images for Structural Mapping of an Impact Crater in the Canadian Shield

Fobert, Mary-Anne; Spray, John G.; Singhroy, V.

doi:10.1080/07038992.2018.1517022

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Doubling the transmission pulse rate means that the imaged swath can be no larger than half of the nominal width of a standard side-looking mode. This inherent limitation is a major reason inhibiting conventional FP SAR modes from adoption by operational users [27,28]. As a further disadvantageous consequence, the doubled and interleaved PRF precludes any wide swath mode, hence ScanSAR-arguably the most important mode of RADARSAT-2 for operational users-is virtually impossible.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hybrid Compact Polarimetric SAR for Environmental Monitoring with the RADARSAT Constellation Mission

Brisco¹,

Mahdianpari

Mohammadimanesh

2020

Remote Sensing

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Canada’s successful space-based earth-observation (EO) radar program has earned widespread and expanding user acceptance following the launch of RADARSAT-1 in 1995. RADARSAT-2, launched in 2007, while providing data continuity for its predecessor’s imaging capabilities, added new polarimetric modes. Canada’s follow-up program, the RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM), launched in 2019, while providing continuity for its two predecessors, includes an innovative suite of polarimetric modes. In an effort to make polarimetry accessible to a wide range of operational users, RCM uses a new method called hybrid compact polarization (HCP). There are two essential elements to this approach: (1) transmit only one polarization, circular; and (2) receive two orthogonal polarizations, for which RCM uses H and V. This configuration overcomes the conventional dual and full polarimetric system limitations, which are lacking enough polarimetric information and having a small swath width, respectively. Thus, HCP data can be considered as dual-pol data, while the resulting polarimetric classifications of features in an observed scene are of comparable accuracy as those derived from the traditional fully polarimetric (FP) approach. At the same time, RCM’s HCP methodology is applicable to all imaging modes, including wide swath and ScanSAR, thus overcoming critical limitations of traditional imaging radar polarimetry for operational use. The primary image data products from an HCP radar are different from those of a traditional polarimetric radar. Because the HCP modes transmit circularly polarized signals, the data processing to extract polarimetric information requires different approaches than those used for conventional linearly polarized polarimetric data. Operational users, as well as researchers and students, are most likely to achieve disappointing results if they work with traditional polarimetric processing tools. New tools are required. Existing tutorials, older seminar notes, and reference papers are not sufficient, and if left unrevised, could succeed in discouraging further use of RCM polarimetric data. This paper is designed to provide an initial response to that need. A systematic review of studies that used HCP SAR data for environmental monitoring is also provided. Based on this review, HCP SAR data have been employed in oil spill monitoring, target detection, sea ice monitoring, agriculture, wetland classification, and other land cover applications.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%