Height model generation, automatic geocoding and a mosaicing using airborne AeS-1 InSAR data

Abstract

The goal of this paper is to present the generation of high resolution digital surface models using airborne AeS-1 interferometric SAR data, their automatic geocoding and mosaicing. In order to be able to carry out these steps, high precision differential Global Positioning System data, high frequency attitude data of the platform, exact time synchronization and range delay of the system must be known. Since in the airborne case motion instabilities are large, due to dynamic properties of the aircraft and atmospheric turbulences, precise motion measurements of the platform are extracted and considered during the SAR processing. Once that all these basic requirements are fulfilled, one is able, using the processing reference tracks, and exploiting a forward-backward geocoding, to convert the phase differences to elevation data and to geolocate them by taking into account all geodetic and cartographic transforms. Results based on 400 MHz X-band InSAR data show that the derived surface model has a positioning accuracy in the order of 0.5 m and a height accuracy better than 0.3 m.