• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.627-635
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• 2020

With the increasing severity of climate change, intense torrential rains are occurring more frequently globally. Flooding due to torrential rain not only causes substantial damage directly, but also via secondary events such as landslides. Therefore, accurate and prompt flood detection is required. Because it is difficult to directly access flooded areas, previous studies have largely used satellite images. Traditionally, water indices such asthe normalized difference water index (NDWI) and modified normalized difference water index (MNDWI) which are based on different optical bands acquired by satellites, are used to detect floods. In addition, as flooding likelihood is greatly influenced by the weather, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images have also been used, because these are less influenced by weather conditions. In this study, we compared flood areas calculated from SAR images and water indices derived from Landsat-8 images, where the images were acquired at similar times. The flooded area was calculated from Landsat-8 and Sentinel-1 images taken between the end of May and August 2019 at Lijiazhou Island, China, which is located in the Changjiang (Yangtze) River basin and experiences annual floods. As a result, the flooded area calculated using the MNDWI was approximately 21% larger on average than that calculated using the NDWI. In a comparison of flood areas calculated using water indices and SAR intensity images, the flood areas calculated using SAR images tended to be smaller, regardless of the order in which the images were acquired. Because the images were acquired by the two satellites on different dates, we could not directly compare the accuracy of the water-index and SAR data. Nevertheless, this study demonstrates that floods can be detected using both optical and SAR satellite data.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.25-40
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• 2006

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) from satellites provides the opportunity to regularly incorporate microwave information into forest classification. Radar backscatter can improve classification accuracy, and SAR interferometry could provide improved thematic information through the use of coherence. This research examined the potential of using multi-temporal JERS-l SAR (L band) backscatter information and interferometry in distinguishing forest classes of mountainous areas in the Northeastern U.S. for future forest mapping and monitoring. Raw image data from a pair of images were processed to produce coherence and backscatter data. To improve the geometric characteristics of both the coherence and the backscatter images, this study used the interferometric techniques. It was necessary to radiometrically correct radar backscatter to account for the effect of topography. This study developed a simplified method of radiometric correction for SAR imagery over the hilly terrain, and compared the forest-type discriminatory powers of the radar backscatter, the multi-temporal backscatter, the coherence, and the backscatter combined with the coherence. Statistical analysis showed that the method of radiometric correction has a substantial potential in separating forest types, and the coherence produced from an interferometric pair of images also showed a potential for distinguishing forest classes even though heavily forested conditions and long time separation of the images had limitations in the ability to get a high quality coherence. The method of combining the backscatter images from two different dates and the coherence in a multivariate approach in identifying forest types showed some potential. However, multi-temporal analysis of the backscatter was inconclusive because leaves were not the primary scatterers of a forest canopy at the L-band wavelengths. Further research in forest classification is suggested using diverse band width SAR imagery and fusing with other imagery source.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• 1999.11a
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• pp.479-484
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• 1999

Rice crop has relatively short growing season during the summer in Korea and, therefore, it is often difficult to acquire cloud-free imagery on time. This study was attempt to define the temporal characteristics of radar backscattering observed from satellite L-band SAR data on different growing stages of rice crop. Six scenes of multi-temporal JERS SAR data were obtained from the transplanting season to the harvesting month of October. Six layers of multi-temporal SAR data were registered on a common geographic coordinate system. Using topographic maps, field collected data, and Landsat TM data, several sample rice fields were delineated from the imagery and their relative radar backscatters were calculated by using a set of reference targets. The temporal pattern of radar backscattering was very distinctive by the growing stage of rice crop. It was also separable between two types of rice fields having different cultivation practices. Considering the temporal characteristics of radar backscattering observed from the study, it is obvious that a certain date of the growing season can be more effective to delineate the exact area of the cultivated rice crop field.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• 2004.10a
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• pp.393-396
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• 2004

In this paper, multifrequency, polarimetric SAR data acquired during the first SIR-C/XSAR mission over the Seoul and Gyunggi-do (Korea) test sites are analyzed. The main objective of the study is to assess the possibility of extracting relevant information about surface properties for geophysical applications using polarimetry. This study analyses the characteristics of polarization responses and polarimetric parameters to conditions present in urban, river, agricultural, and forested areas. Results indicate that the dominant scattering property from these fields varies depending on the land cover types. The polarization response graphs and the backscattering coefficients associated with the polarimetric parameters are also useful in characterizing these cover types.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.527-534
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• 2020

This study aims to monitor the displacement of the bridges using Stanford Method for Persistent Scatterers (StaMPS) time-series Persistent Scatterer Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar analysis. For case study bridges: Kimdaejung bridge and Deokyang bridge, we acquired 60 and 33 Cosmo-Skymed Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data over the Mokpo region and Yeosu region, respectively from 2013 to 2019. With single-look interferograms, we estimated the long-term time-series displacements over the bridges. The time-series displacements were estimated as -8.8 mm/year and -1.34 mm/year at the mid-span over the selected bridges: Kimdaejung and Deokyang bridge, respectively. This time-series displacement provides reliable and high spatial resolution information to monitor the structural behavior of the bridge for preventing structural behaviors.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.375-386
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• 2022

The city of Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, was heavily damaged by the flood of the Nile in 2020. Classification using satellite images can define the damaged area and help emergency response. As Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) uses microwave that can penetrate cloud, it is suitable to use in the flood study. In this study, Random Forest classifier, one of the supervised classification algorithms, was applied to the flood event in Khartoum with various sizes of the training dataset and number of images using Sentinel-1 SAR. To create a training dataset, we used unsupervised classification and visual inspection. Firstly, Random Forest was performed by reducing the size of each class of the training dataset, but no notable difference was found. Next, we performed Random Forest with various number of images. Accuracy became better as the number of images in creased, but converged to a maximum value when the dataset covers the duration from flood to the completion of drainage.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.36 no.2_2
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• pp.365-377
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• 2020

Continuous monitoring and immediate response is essential to protect the national maritime territory and maritime resources from the activities of illegal ships. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images with a wide range of images are effective for maritime surveillance asthe weather and day-night conditions rarely affect to image acquisition. However, an effective ship detection is not easy due to the huge data size of SAR images and various characteristics such as the speckle noise. In this study, the Human Visual Attention System (HVAS) algorithm was applied to KOMPSAT-5 to extract the initial targets, and the SAR-Split algorithm depending on the imaging modes was used to remove false alarms. The detected targets were finally selected by the Constant False Alarm Rate (CFAR) algorithm and matched with the ship's Automatic Identification System (AIS) information. Overall, the detected targets were well matched with AIS data, but some false alarms by ship wakes were observed. The detection rate was about 80% in ES mode and about 64% in ST mode. It is expected that the developed ship detection algorithm will contribute to the construction of a wide area maritime surveillance network.

• Journal of Satellite, Information and Communications
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.35-40
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• 2007

COSPAS-SARSAT is the search and rescue system for providing a distress alarm and a position identification using an international satellite and ground facilities. Aviators, mariners and land users worldwide are equipped with COSPAS-SARSAT distress beacons, which could help save their in emergency situations anywhere in the world. As the existing COSPAS-SARSAT system is generally operated by LEO(Low-altitude Earth Orbit) Satellite System, the time from the distress beacon to the rescue is more than 1 hour with average and the accuracy of the distress location is about 5 Km. Therefore, in order to overcome this problem, the development for the next generation SAR(search and rescue) system which uses the MEO(middle-altitude Earth Orbit) satellites is going on the Galileo project. EU is developing this project for the full operation capability in 2011, and this project will have SAR payloads and support to the Search and Rescue service-herein called SAR/Galileo. SAR/Galileo will have the performance of a few meter accuracy, within 10 minutes to rescue from reception of distress messages, and Return Link Service(from the SAR operator to the distress emitting beacon), thereby facilitating more efficient rescue operations and helping to reduce the rate of false alerts. As the disaster is larger every year, the ground station, MEOLUT for next generation ASR/Galileo is urgently needed for the lifesaving for the larger disaster, the research for beacon and the ground station such as MEOLUT for introducing the next generation SAR/Galileo in Korea is very timely and is important. This paper presents the procedures and the strategies for the participation, the area to develop reasonably, and the propulsion organization for developing the SAR/Galileo ground system in Korea.

• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.121-127
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• 2003

The Korea Maritime Police Agency(KMPA) is the national maritime Search and Rescuee (SAR) authority with the responsibility to promote an efficient organization of SAR services and to coordinate the conduct of SAR operations within the Korean Search and Rescue Region(SRR). The maritime SAR operations shall provide an adequate and effective search and rescue services to minimize the loss by rendering aid to persons in distress and property in the marine environment. The essence of a successful search and rescue operation is the speed with which it is planned and carried out because survivors who need assistance and whose chances of survival diminish rapidly with time. This paper aims to propose an optimal allocation model of maritime SAR fleet in view of minimizing the search and rescue time. When maritime accidents occur, rescue units have to reach to the distress scene within the specified time. For this, SAR units must be redeployed to an advanced base so that Rescue Units(RU) can reach to the scene of distress in the shortest possible time. The Korean maritime SRR is divided into 180 sub-areas in consideration of an operational and technical ability of SAR units. The suggested model is verified through an empirical application to the Korean maritime SRR. And also the Rescue Vessels(RV) required is estimated for each Rescue Co-ordination Center(RCC).

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Navigation and Port Research Conference
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• 2003.05a
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• pp.35-41
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• 2003

The Korea Maritime Police Agency(KMPA) is the national maritime Search and Rescue (SAR) authority with the responsibility to promote an efficient organization of SAR services and to coordinate the conduct of SAR operations within the Korean Search and Rescue Region(SRR). The maritime SAR operations shall provide an adequate and effective search and rescue services to minimize the loss of life, injury property damage or loss by rendering aid to persons in distress and property in the marine environment. The essence of a successful search and rescue operation is the speed with which it is planned and carried out because survivors who need assistance and whose chances of survival diminish rapidly with time. This paper aims to propose an optimal allocation model of maritime SAR fleet in view of minimizing the search and rescue time. When maritime accidents occur, rescue units have to reach to the distress scene within the specified time. For this. SAR units must be redeployed to an advanced base so that Rescue Units(RU) can reach to the scene of distress in the shortest possible time. The Korean maritime SRR is divided into 180 sub-areas in consideration of an operational and technical ability of SAR units The suggested model is verified through an empirical application to the Korean maritime SRR. And also the Rescue Vessels(RV) required is estimated for each Rescue Co-ordination Center(RCC).