Product-Level PerformanceModels for the Tandem-LMission: Forest Structure Case Study

Abstract:
The German Tandem-L mission is devoted to provide an overall observation of the dynamic processes within the Earth system at different spatial and temporal scales. Among the mission objectives, the measurement of the 3-D forest structure by means of multi-pass coherence SAR tomography (TomoSAR) has particular relevance. Up to now, the potential of TomoSAR for the characterization of the forest volume has been proved with airborne data, but Tandem-L will allow for the first time to map the vertical forest structure and monitor seasonal and annual variations globally with a high spatial resolution. Recently, a performance model for the characterization of the structure information of multibaseline (MB) data stacks has been presented, and the primarily objective of this paper is to examine in depth such model for global performance analysis and investigate the required acquisition trade-offs in the framework of the Tandem-L mission design and acquisition plan.