• 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.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.79-91
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• 1992

With recent development in spaceborne imaging radar system, there are growing interests using satellite synthetic aperture radar(SAR) data in various applications. This study attempted to identify the relationships between several forest stand characteristics and radar backscatter, measured from space altitude altitude at three incidence angles. Shuttle Imaging Radar-B(SIR-B) data were collected over a forested area in northern Florida in October, 1984. By using various sources of reference data (forest type maps, inventory records, aerial photographs, and Landsat Thematic Mapper data), about 400 forest stands of known characteristics were carefully located in the radar data. Relative radar backscatter for the three incidence angles of SIR-B data were compared with known forest stand parameters such as mean tree height, diameter at breast height(DBH), stand density, biomass, and relative amount of understory vegetation. The results show that these stand parameters have statistically significant correlations with the radar backscatter. In addition, the SIR-B radar backscatter from a certain stand parameter turned out differently at the three different incidence angles. Finally, the types and characteristics of currently available satellite SAR data are discussed.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• v.1
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• pp.39-42
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• 2006

The paper reports on the first experimental evidence for space-observed manifestation of the open ocean tsunami in the microwave radar backscatter (in C- and Ku-bands). Significant variations of the radar cross section synchronous with the sea level anomaly were found in the geophysical data record of the altimetry satellite Jason-1 for the track which crossed the head wave of the catastrophic tsunami of 26 December 2004. The simultaneous analysis of the available complementary data provided by the satellite three-channel radiometer enabled us to exclude meteorological factors as possible causes of the observed signal modulation. A possible physical mechanism of modulation of short wind waves due to transformation of the thin boundary layer in the air by a tsunami wave is discussed. The results open new possibilities of monitoring tsunamis from space..

• Journal of electromagnetic engineering and science
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.212-218
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• 2010

The radar backscatter from various earth surfaces is sensitive to the frequency of the incident wave. This study examined the radar sensitivities for surface parameters such as soil moisture content and surface roughness of both bare and vegetated surfaces at X-band. Because L-band frequencies are often used for sensing the surface parameters, the sensitivities of X-band are also compared with those of the L-band. The sensitivities of the X-band radar backscatter were examined with respect to soil moisture content and surface roughness of rough bare soil surfaces. These sensitivities were also examined using the same parameters for vegetated surfaces for various vegetation densities and incidence angles. Use of the X-band radar for soil moisture detection was as effective as L-band radar for bare soil surfaces. For vegetated surfaces, the soil moisture could be detected using an X-band radar at lower incidence angles, where the upper limit of the incidence angles was dependent on vegetation density.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.1-16
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• 1988

Multiyear ice is quite thick in general, and it needs to be distinguished from thinner types of ice because it represents a severe navigational hazard. Here, models are described for the radar backscatter from multiyear sea ice, based on simple scattering layers. Under cold conditions, the radiative transfer volume-scatter model can describe the backscattering from multiyear ice for frequencies higher than about X-band, while the surface scattering contribution has to be included for lower frequencies. A simple semi-empirical model is shown to be a good approximation to the radiative transfer model in describing the volume scattering from multiyear ice.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.17-35
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• 1994

A semi-empirical model for microwave polarimetric radar backscattering from bare soil surfaces was developed using polarmetric radar measurements and the knowledge based on the theoretical and numerical solutions. The microwave polarimetric backscatter measurements were conducted for bare soil surfaces under a variety of roughness and moisture conditions at L-, C-, and X-band frequencies at incidence angles ranging from 10` to 70`. Since the accrate target parameters as well as the radar parameters are necessary for radar scattering modeling, a complete and accurate set of ground truth data were also collected using a laser profile meter and dielectric probes for each surface condition, from which accurate measurements were made of the rms height, correlation length, and dielectric constant. At first, the angular and spectral dependencies of the measured radar backscatter for a wide range of roughnesses and moisture conditions are examined. Then, the measured scattering behavior was tested using theoretical and numerical solutions. Based on the experimental observations and the theoretical and numerical solutions, a semi-empirical model was developed for backscattering coeffients in terms of the surface roughness parameters and the relative dielectric constant of the soil surface. The model was found to yield very good agreement with the backscattering measurements of this study as well as with independent measurements.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.57-73
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• 1997

This paper is related to the correction of radiometric distortions induced by topographic relief. RADARSAT SAR image data were obtained over the mountainous area near southern part of Seoul. Initially, the SAR data was geometrically corrected and registered to plane rectangular coordinates so that each pixel of the SAR image has known topographic parameters. The topographic parameters (slope and aspect) at each pixel position were calculated from the digital elevation model (DEM) data having a comparable spatial resolution with the SAR data. Local incidence angle between the incoming microwave and the surface normal to terrain slope was selected as a primary geometric factor to analyze and to correct the radiometric distortions. Using digital maps of forest stands, several fields of rather homogeneous forest stands were delineated over the SAR image. Once the effects of local incidence angle on the radar backscatter were defined, the radiometric correction was performed by an empirical fuction that was derived from the relationship between the geometric parameters and mean radar backscatter. The correction effects were examined by ground truth data.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 2000

The objective of this study is to evaluate the use of RADARSAT and Landsat TM data for the monitoring of rice growth. The relationships between backscatter coefficients($\sigma$$^{0}$ ) of RADARSAT data and digital numbers (DN) of Landsat TM and rice growth parameters were investigated. Radar backscatter coefficients were calculated by calibration process and then compared with rice growth parameters; plant height, leaf area index (LAI), and fresh and dry biomass. When radar backscatter coefficient ($\sigma$$^{0}$ ) of rice was expressed as a function of time, it is shown that the increasing trend ranged from -22--20dB to -9--8dB as growth advances. The temporal variation of backscatter coefficient was significant to interpret rice growth. According to the relationship between leaf area index and backscatter coefficient, backscatter coefficient underestimated leaf area index at the beginning of life history and overestimated, at the reproductive stage. The same increasing trend between biomass and backscatter coefficient was shown. From these results, RADARSAT data appear positive to the monitoring of rice growth. Each band of time-series Landsat TM data had a significant trend as a rice crop grows during its life cycle. Spectral indices, NDVI[(TM4-TM3)/(TM4+TM3)] and RVI(TM4/TM2), derived from Landsat TM equivalent bands had the same trend as leaf area index.

• Journal of electromagnetic engineering and science
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.183-188
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• 2005

A simple microwave backscattering model for vegetation canopies on earth surfaces is developed in this study. A natural earth surface is modeled as a two-layer structure comprising a vegetation layer and a ground layer. This scattering model includes various scattering mechanisms up to the first-order multiple scattering( double-bounce scattering). Radar backscatter from ground surface has been modeled by the polarimetric semi-empirical model (PSEM), while the backscatter from the vegetation layer modeled by the vector radiative transfer model. The vegetation layer is modeled by random distribution of mixed scattering particles, such as leaves, branches and trunks. The number of input parameters has been minimized to simplify the scattering model. The computation results are compared with the experimental measurements, which were obtained by ground-based scatterometers and NASA/JPL air-borne synthetic aperture radar(SAR) system. It was found that the scattering model agrees well with the experimental data, even though the model used only ten input parameters.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.337-346
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• 2015

Water body extraction based on backscatter information is an essential process to analyze floodaffected areas from Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) image. Water body in SAR image tends to have low backscatter values due to homogeneous surface of water, while non-water body has higher backscatter values than water body. Non-water body, however, may also have low backscatter values in high resolution SAR image such as Kompsat-5 image, depending on surface characteristic of the ground. The objective of this paper is to present a method to increase backscatter contrast between water body and non-water body and also to remove efficiently misclassified pixels beyond true water body area. We create an entropy image using a Gray Level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM) and classify the entropy image into water body and non-water body pixels by thresholding of the entropy image. In order to reduce the effect of threshold value, we also propose Water Body Texture Index (WBTI), which measures simultaneously the occurrence of repeated water body pixel pair and the uniformity of water body in the binary entropy image. The proposed method produced high overall accuracy of 99.00% and Kappa coefficient of 90.38% in water body extraction using Kompsat-5 image. The accuracy analysis indicates that the proposed WBTI method is less affected by the choice of threshold value and successfully maintains high overall accuracy and Kappa coefficient in wide threshold range.