A standard index of spatial resolution for distributed targets in synthetic aperture radar imagery

I. H. Woodhouse, A. Marino, I. Cameron
2011 International Journal of Remote Sensing  
In this paper we outline the need for a consistent method of quoting SAR resolution given the influence of speckle upon SAR images. Standard measures of resolution depend upon the separability of point targets, however this is not a useful analogy in the context of SAR. We contend that quoting resolution for a 3-4 looks product may be unrealistic given the influence of speckle. Our approach considers the separability of targets that differ in intensity by a known contrast ratio, with a ratio of
more » ... 2, i.e. 3 dB difference, used as threshold value. It is demonstrated that 12 looks represents a more realistic estimate of the capabilities of the system and should be used to quote an equivalent spatial resolution (ESR) when describing potential instrument performance
doi:10.1080/01431161.2010.502546 fatcat:fwgcv6xnzndcljpmp3cqvm7wvu