Abstract
Look direction bias in a single look SAR image can often be misinterpreted in the geological application of radar data. This paper investigates digital processing techniques for SAR image data integration and compensation of the SAR data look direction bias. The two important approaches for reducing look direction bias and integration of multiple SAR data sets are (1) principal component analysis (PCA), and (2) wavelet transform(WT) integration techniques. These two methods were investigated and tested with the ERS-1 (VV-polarization) and CCRS*s airborne (HH-polarization) C-SAR image data sets recorded over the Sudbury test site, Canada. The PCA technique has been very effective for integration of more than two layers of digital image data. When there only two sets of SAR data are available, the PCA thchnique requires at least one more set of auxiliary data for proper rendition of the fine surface features. The WT processing approach of SAR data integration utilizes the property which decomposes images into approximated image ( low frequencies) characterizing the spatially large and relatively distinct structures, and detailed image (high frequencies) in which the information on detailed fine structures are preserved. The test results with the ERS-1and CCRS*s C-SAR data indicate that the new WT approach is more efficient and robust in enhancibng the fine details of the multiple SAR images than the PCA approach.