Optimal Polarization Channel Method for Estimating Forest Height From PolInSAR Images

This paper proposes a method of optimizing polarization channels to improve accuracy in forest parameter retrieval using PolInSAR images. The forest parameters extracted by the proposed method are implemented through three stages. The topographic phase and the range of mean extinction coefficients can be determined in the first two stages by searching optimal polarization channels. The forest height is retrieved in the final stage based on the determination of a complex coherence coefficient for direct scattering component from canopy layer. The effectiveness of the proposed method was assessed with simulation data from PolSARprosim 5.2 software. Experimental results show that the proposed method has improved the accuracy of the estimated forest height compared to the Tayebe’s Method by roughly 6.85%.