Advanced Topics

(ii) Active Microwave Remote

Sensing

Remote Sensing: M9L2 D.Nagesh Kumar, IISc

 Objectives
2

 Introduction

 Active Remote Sensing

(Principles & Applications)

Remote Sensing: M9L2 D.Nagesh Kumar, IISc

 Active Microwave Sensors
3

Active sensors create their own electromagnetic energy that

1) Gets transmitted from the sensor toward the terrain
2) Interacts with the terrain producing a backscatter of
energy and
1) Gets recorded by the remote sensor’s receiver.

E.g: Radio Detection And Ranging (RADAR)

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)
Real Aperture Radar (RAR)
Scatterometer

Remote Sensing: M9L2 D.Nagesh Kumar, IISc

 Radar
4

 A directed beam of microwave

pulses are transmitted from an
antenna

 The energy interacts with the

terrain and gets scattered which is
measured by the radar antenna

Source:
http://forum.sci.ccny.cuny.edu/Members/mtedesco/lectureNov14b
Remote Sensing: M9L2 D.Nagesh Kumar, IISc
 Radar Backscatter
5

Power received = Power per unit area at target x

Effective scattering area of the target x

Spreading loss of reradiated signal x

Effective receiving area of antenna

This relation is given by the Radar Equation

Remote Sensing: M9L2 D.Nagesh Kumar, IISc

 Radar equation
6

PG 2
 2
Pr  t t

 
 4 3
4 R
Pr power received
Pt power transmitted
Gt antenna gain in direction of target
R range distance from transmitter to target
 backscatter area of target
 wavelength
Remote Sensing: M9L2 D.Nagesh Kumar, IISc
 Radar Backscatter Coefficient
7


  o

 = Radar cross-section (Efficiency of terrain to reflect radar

pulse)

 ˚ = Radar backscatter coefficient ( Radar cross section per unit
area (A)

Remote Sensing: M9L2 D.Nagesh Kumar, IISc

 Radar Backscattering
8

Depends on the properties of the target:

 roughness

 dielectric constant

Depends on characteristics of the radar:

 depression angle

 frequency/wavelength

 polarization

Remote Sensing: M9L2 D.Nagesh Kumar, IISc

 Radar and the
Dielectric Constant
9

 Dielectric constant depends on the type of material as well as

its moisture state

 it is analogous to the refractive index of the material

 it is primarily a function of moisture content
 also depends on chemical properties such as salinity

 Dielectric constant is the ratio of the capacitance of a material to

that of a vacuum. Also known as the “relative permittivity”

Remote Sensing: M9L2 D.Nagesh Kumar, IISc

 Dielectric Constant
10

Source: http://forum.sci.ccny.cuny.edu/Members/mtedesco/lectureNov14b

Remote Sensing: M9L2 D.Nagesh Kumar, IISc

 Radar frequency and backscatter
11

 Depth of radar
penetration
through the
vegetation
canopy varies
directly with l

Source: http://forum.sci.ccny.cuny.edu/Members/mtedesco/lectureNov14b

Remote Sensing: M9L2 D.Nagesh Kumar, IISc

 12

Types of Active
Microwave Surface
and Volume
Scattering that Take
Place in a
Hypothetical Pine
Forest Stand

Source: http://forum.sci.ccny.cuny.edu/Members/mtedesco/lectureNov14b

Remote Sensing: M9L2 D.Nagesh Kumar, IISc

 Response of A Pine Forest Stand to X-, C- and L-band Microwave
Energy

13

Source: http://forum.sci.ccny.cuny.edu/Members/mtedesco/lectureNov14b

Remote Sensing: M9L2 D.Nagesh Kumar, IISc

 Radar Parameters
14
 Azimuth Direction
 direction of travel of aircraft or orbital track of satellite
 Range angle
 direction of radar illumination, usually perpendicular to
azimuth direction
 Depression angle
 angle between horizontal plane and microwave pulse (near
range depression angle > far range depression angle)
 Incident angle
 angle between microwave pulse and a line perpendicular to
the local surface slope
 Polarization
 linearly polarized microwave energy emitted/received by the
sensor (HH, VV, HV, VH)

Remote Sensing: M9L2 D.Nagesh Kumar, IISc

 Source: http://forum.sci.ccny.cuny.edu/Members/mtedesco/lectureNov14b

Remote Sensing: M9L2 15 D.Nagesh Kumar, IISc

 Slant Range vs. Ground Range
16

Source: http://forum.sci.ccny.cuny.edu/Members/mtedesco/lectureNov14b

Remote Sensing: M9L2 D.Nagesh Kumar, IISc

 Radar Pulse Length
17

Source: http://forum.sci.ccny.cuny.edu/Members/mtedesco/lectureNov14b

Remote Sensing: M9L2 D.Nagesh Kumar, IISc

 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)
18

Source: http://forum.sci.ccny.cuny.edu/Members/mtedesco/lectureNov14b

Remote Sensing: M9L2 D.Nagesh Kumar, IISc

 Radar Layover
19

Source: http://forum.sci.ccny.cuny.edu/Members/mtedesco/lectureNov14b

Remote Sensing: M9L2 D.Nagesh Kumar, IISc

 Radar Shadowing
20

Source: http://forum.sci.ccny.cuny.edu/Members/mtedesco/lectureNov14b

Remote Sensing: M9L2 D.Nagesh Kumar, IISc

Foreshortening 21

Source: http://forum.sci.ccny.cuny.edu/Members/mtedesco/lectureNov14b

Remote Sensing: M9L2 D.Nagesh Kumar, IISc

 Radar Shadow
22

Source: http://forum.sci.ccny.cuny.edu/Members/mtedesco/lectureNov14b

Remote Sensing: M9L2 D.Nagesh Kumar, IISc

 SAR Applications
23

 DEM generation
 Land subsidence monitoring
 Estimation of soil moisture content
 Biomass estimation
 Crop estimation
 Flood control
 Oil spill Monitoring

Remote Sensing: M9L2 D.Nagesh Kumar, IISc

 DEM generation
24

 Stereo SAR: The parallax of a pair of SAR imagery is used to

generate a digital elevation model (DEM)

 Interferometric SAR : The phase different between two SAR

images are used to estimate the surface height

Remote Sensing: M9L2 D.Nagesh Kumar, IISc

 Subsidence Monitoring
25

 The technique of differential Interferometric SAR

(DiInSAR) is used to obtain millimeter level of accuracy

 It can help in predicting the hazards such as mining

exploitation.

Remote Sensing: M9L2 D.Nagesh Kumar, IISc

 Estimation of
Soil Moisture
26

 Soil dielectric constant is calculated through the SAR

backscattering signals; Soil moisture content gets affect
by soil dielectric constant

 Accuracy of the estimated result depend on the SAR wave

length, the polarization used

 It is useful for irrigation monitoring as well as the

environmental monitoring

Remote Sensing: M9L2 D.Nagesh Kumar, IISc

 Biomass Estimation
27

 SAR polarimetry : Thepolarization state of receiving and

transmitting channel is employed to measure the differences
in backscatter due to orientation, shape and material
composition

 SAR interferometry : It coherently combines signals from two

separated spatial positions to extract an interferogram

 By combining these two technologies, the vegetation

propertied such as vegetation height and biomass can be
determined.

Remote Sensing: M9L2 D.Nagesh Kumar, IISc

 Estimation of Crop
28

 Multi-temporal SAR data should be used to monitor the

plant grow and estimate the plant’s biomass.

 The damages area due to Flooding or Sea Serge... can also

be monitoring

 The crop producing model may be used to simulate the

plant grow and predict the crop yields

Remote Sensing: M9L2 D.Nagesh Kumar, IISc

 Flood Control
29

 SAR data is weather independent

 It can be obtain in before, during, and after the flood
event
 The flood area can be mapped
 The flood movement can be delineated
 The flood effect area can be mapped

Remote Sensing: M9L2 D.Nagesh Kumar, IISc

 Monitoring Oil spills
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 The SAR data is cloud independent;

 Oil cover surface is clearly displaced in SAR images as
dark regions;
 Some software can detect oil spills automatically’
 The thickness of the oil layer may also be obtained using
SAR data;
 With the multi-temporal data available, the source of
pollution may be discovered.

Remote Sensing: M9L2 D.Nagesh Kumar, IISc

 Sources of Microwave Data
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 Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E)

[http://wwwghcc.msfc.nasa.gov/AMSR/data_products.html ].

 Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM)

[http://mirador.gsfc.nasa.gov]

Remote Sensing: M9L2 D.Nagesh Kumar, IISc

 Thank You

Remote Sensing: M9L2 32 D.Nagesh Kumar, IISc