An Integrated Focusing and Calibration Procedure for Airborne SAR Data

Inhalt:
Topography-induced variation of radar brightness still poses a problem in terms of radiometric calibration of SAR data, which is undoubtedly an indispensable step in order to deduce bio- or geophysical parameters from amplitude images. We propose an integrated focusing and calibration procedure for airborne SAR data based on the time-domain backprojection technique. With the help of sensor position and attitude data as well as a digital elevation model (DEM) the true acquisition geometry is maintained throughout the combined focusing and calibration step. The effectiveness of the method is evaluated by means of an E-SAR L-band data set acquired over undulating terrain.