4 Microwave RS

Microwave
Remote
Sensing
Wavelength range of microwaves: 1mm – 30 cm
Prashanth J, NITS 2
Introduction
➢Microwave sensing encompasses both active and passive forms

of remote sensing.
➢Longer wavelength microwave radiation can penetrate through
cloud cover, haze, dust, and all but the heaviest rainfall as the
longer wavelengths are not susceptible to atmospheric scattering
which affects shorter optical wavelengths.
➢This property allows detection of microwave energy under
almost all weather and environmental conditions so that data can
be collected at any time.
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Introduction
➢Two types
➢Passive Microwave Remote Sensing
➢Active Microwave Remote Sensing
➢Imaging
➢Non-imaging
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Passive Microwave RS
➢All objects emit microwave energy of some magnitude, but the amounts
are generally very small.
➢This emitted energy is related to the temperature and moisture properties

of the emitting object or surface.
➢Passive microwave sensors are typically radiometers or scanners and

operate in much the same manner as discussed previously except that an
antenna is used to detect and record the microwave energy.
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Passive Microwave RS
➢The microwave energy recorded by a passive sensor can be emitted by
the atmosphere, reflected from the surface, emitted from the surface, or
transmitted from the subsurface.
➢Because the wavelengths are so long, the energy available is quite small
compared to optical wavelengths.
➢Thus, the fields of view must be large to detect enough energy to record a
signal. Most passive microwave sensors are therefore characterized by
low spatial resolution.
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Active Microwave RS
➢Active microwave sensors provide their own source of microwave
radiation to illuminate the target.
➢The most common form of imaging active microwave sensor is

RADAR which means RAdio Detection And Ranging, which
essentially characterizes the function and operation of a radar sensor.
➢Non-imaging microwave sensors include altimeters and

scatterometers.
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RADAR
• The sensor transmits a microwave (radio) signal towards the target and detects
the backscattered portion of the signal.
• The strength of the backscattered signal is measured to discriminate between

different targets and the time delay between the transmitted and reflected
signals determines the distance (or range) to the target.
• Because radar is an active sensor, it can also be used to image the surface at any
time, day or night.
• These are the two primary advantages of radar: all-weather and day or night
imaging.
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RADAR Parameters
❖ Wavelength
❖ Polarization
❖ Incident Angle
Incidence Angle
• The incidence angle is the angle between the radar
beam and ground surface (A) which increases,
moving across the swath from near to far range.
• The look angle (B) is the angle at which the radar
"looks" at the surface (900-A). In the near range, the
viewing geometry may be referred to as being steep,
relative to the far range, where the viewing
geometry is shallow.
• At all ranges the radar antenna measures the radial line of sight distance
between the radar and each target on the surface. This is the slant range
distance (C).
• The ground range distance (D) is the true horizontal distance along the ground
corresponding to each point measured in slant range.
▪ The imaging geometry of a radar system is
different from the framing and scanning
systems commonly employed for optical
remote sensing.
▪ Similar to optical systems, the platform travels
forward in the flight direction (A) with the
nadir (B) directly beneath the platform.
▪ The microwave beam is transmitted obliquely
at right angles to the direction of flight
illuminating a swath (C) which is offset from
nadir.
• Range (D) refers to the across-track
dimension perpendicular to the flight
direction, while azimuth (E) refers to the
along-track dimension parallel to the flight
direction.
• The portion of the image swath closest to the
nadir track of the radar platform is called the
near range (A) while the portion of the
swath farthest from the nadir is called the far
range (B).
RADAR resolution
• Unlike optical systems, a radar's spatial resolution is a function of the
specific properties of the microwave radiation and geometrical effects.
• If a Real Aperture Radar (RAR) is used for image formation (as in
Side-Looking Airborne Radar) a single transmit pulse and the
backscattered signal are used to form the image.
• Range Resolution
(Across-Track resolution)
H
• Azimuth Resolution
(Along-Track resolution)
Range resolution
• In range direction, echoes from the ground arrive progressively later
from the near-range to the far-range edge of the swath.
• Objects at different ranges can be distinguished if their range
separation is larger than half the transmitted pulse length.
• Hence, the range resolution of a SLAR system is defined by
Microwave pulses of pulse length, τP
Speed of light, c
• with c corresponding to the speed of light. The variable ρR in Eq. above

is usually referred to as the slant range resolution of a SLAR system as it
describes a SLAR’s ability to distinguish objects at different (slant)
distances from the radar.
Range resolution
• While the slant range parameter ρR is useful for many system design
questions, remote sensing is often more interested in the ground
range resolution ρG, which describes the ability to discriminate
objects that are situated on the ground and is calculated from ρR via
the local incidence angle θi:
• ρG is not constant across the swath and actually improves with

distance from nadir (due to the increase of θi).
• This is opposite to the behavior of most optical systems for which the
ground resolution degrades with increasing θi.
Azimuth resolution
• In the along-track (or azimuth) direction, the ground is scanned by the
movement of the radar along its track.
• In the case of SLAR systems, the azimuth resolution ρAz (the ability to
discriminate objects in azimuth direction) is defined by the width of
the antenna footprint in azimuth SAz, which, in turn, is limited by the
side length LAz of the antenna in this direction.
• Hence, the azimuth resolution corresponds to
• Eq. above indicates that the azimuth resolution ρAz is linearly

degrading with increasing distance between the sensor and the ground
R.
Azimuth resolution
• First, as R changes from the near-
range to the far-range edge of the
swath, the azimuth resolution of a
SLAR is not constant across range.
• Second, and more importantly, the
dependence of ρAz on the distance to
the ground R makes the application
of SLAR systems on high-altitude or
even spaceborne platforms highly
impractical.
Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)
SRTM Version 3.0 Global
(90m)
SRTM data using Global

Mapper
Thank You
Prashanth J, NITS
34

4 Microwave RS

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Microwave

➢Microwave sensing encompasses both active and passive forms

➢Active Microwave Remote Sensing

➢This emitted energy is related to the temperature and moisture properties

➢Passive microwave sensors are typically radiometers or scanners and

➢The most common form of imaging active microwave sensor is

➢Non-imaging microwave sensors include altimeters and

• The strength of the backscattered signal is measured to discriminate between

• with c corresponding to the speed of light. The variable ρR in Eq. above

• ρG is not constant across the swath and actually improves with

• Eq. above indicates that the azimuth resolution ρAz is linearly

SRTM data using Global

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