Extracting topographic information from SAR data using surface archetypes
K. E. Macfarlane, Ronald E. Burge · Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE · 1995
This paper adapts Pentland's technique of shape from shading using assumed umbilical points, for application to synthetic aperture radar. A new surface archetype suitable for SAR geometry is developed to replace the spherical archetype of the optical technique. Comparisons are drawn between the optical and the SAR case, discussing the problems of ambiguity in the solution surfaces. The accuracy of this method is explored by comparing the surface generated from simulated SAR images with the data used to create the images. The problems of speckle and self shadowing that will be found in real SAR cases are discussed.