Open AccessSAR interferometry with the RADARSAT Constellation Mission
Author(s) -
J. P. Dudley,
Sergey Samsonov
Publication year - 2022
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
DOI - 10.4095/329396
Subject(s) - remote sensing , synthetic aperture radar , interferometry , decorrelation , interferometric synthetic aperture radar , constellation , computer science , deformation monitoring , earth observation , space based radar , radar , geodesy , geology , radar imaging , satellite , geography , radar engineering details , meteorology , telecommunications , physics , optics , engineering , aerospace engineering , deformation (meteorology) , algorithm , astronomy
The RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM) is Canada's latest system of C-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Earth observation satellites. The system of three satellites, spaced equally in a common orbit, allows for a rapid four-day repeat interval. The RCM hasbeen designed with a selection of stripmap, spotlight, and ScanSAR beam modes which offer varied combinations of spatial resolution and coverage. Using Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR) techniques, the growing archive of SAR data gathered by RCM can be used for changedetection and ground deformation monitoring for diverse applications in Canada and around the world. In partnership with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the Canada Centre for Mapping and Earth Observation (CCMEO) has developed an automated system for generating standard and advanced deformationproducts and change detection from SAR data acquired by RCM and RADARSAT-2 satellites using DInSAR processing methodology. Using this system, this paper investigates four key interferometric properties of the RCM system which were not available on the RADARSAT-1 or RADARSAT-2 missions: The impact ofthe high temporal resolution of the four-day repeat cycle of the RCM on temporal decorrelation trends is tested and fitted against simple temporal decay models. The effect of the normalization and the precision of the radiometric calibration on interferometric spatial coherence is investigated. Theperformance of the RCM ScanSAR mode for wide area interferometric analysis is tested. The performance of the novel RCM Compact-polarization (CP) mode for interferometric analysis is also investigated.