Automatic change detection in spaceborne SAR imagery

Douglas G. Corr; Simon W. Whitehouse; David H. Mott; Jim F. Baldwin

doi:10.1117/12.242063

10 June 1996 Automatic change detection in spaceborne SAR imagery

Douglas G. Corr, Simon W. Whitehouse, David H. Mott, Jim F. Baldwin

Proceedings Volume 2757, Algorithms for Synthetic Aperture Radar Imagery III; (1996) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.242063
Event: Aerospace/Defense Sensing and Controls, 1996, Orlando, FL, United States

Abstract

This paper describes a new technique of the automatic detection of change within synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images produced from satellite data. The interpretation of this type of imagery is difficult due to the combined effect of speckle, low resolution and the complexity of the radar signatures. The change detection technique that has been developed overcomes these problems by automatically measuring the degree of change between two images. The principle behind the technique used is that when satellite repeat orbits are at almost the same position in space then unless the scene has changed, the speckle pattern in the image will be unchanged. Comparison of images therefore reveals real change, not change due to fluctuating speckle patterns. The degree of change between two SAR images was measured by using the coherence function. Coherence has been studied for a variety of scene types: agricultural, forestry, domestic housing, small and large scale industrial complexes. Fuzzy set techniques, as well as direct threshold methods, have bee applied to the coherence data to determine places where change has occurred. The method has been validated using local information on building changes due to construction or demolition.

Citation Download Citation

Douglas G. Corr, Simon W. Whitehouse, David H. Mott, and Jim F. Baldwin "Automatic change detection in spaceborne SAR imagery", Proc. SPIE 2757, Algorithms for Synthetic Aperture Radar Imagery III, (10 June 1996); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.242063

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