Polarimetric RCS signature of canonical target in dense grass area using GB-SAR environment

Abstract

Applications for radar systems are continuously being developed, particularly in the remote sensing and positioning of searched objects in disaster and forest areas. In this paper, the concept of radar cross section (RCS) measurements for acquiring and identifying the polarimetric backscatter characteristics of canonical targets is presented. This concept is achieved with the principle of using ground-based synthetic aperture radar (GB-SAR) and the change in the relative angle between the radar system and target position in a dense grass environment. Experimental results are presented that demonstrate that the structures of canonical targets react differently to the incident wave, polarization and particularly to the relative angle change such that the measured polarimetric backscatter characteristics can be used to indicate the existence of a specific object in a cluttered area and to predict the geometries and structures of canonical targets. The measurement concept is also shown to be capable of indicating the existence of a specific target structure by using the appropriate polarization state. Furthermore, this concept can be applied in search and rescue applications in cluttered areas.