The theoretical performance of different algorithms for shift estimation between SAR images

Abstract:
This paper compares several algorithms for shift estimation between SAR images, presenting their performance along with their respective merits and demerits. It shows that there is a parallelism between correlation-based estimators (coherent and incoherent) and two different implementations of split-spectrum methods (Δ-k), both in terms of robustness to interferometric phase variations within the estimation window and in terms of performance. The character of Δ-k estimators is regulated by the amount of multi-looking at interferogram level and is related to the statistical efficiency of the standard estimator for the interferometric phase in case of Gaussian speckle.