Polarimetry for Sparse Multistatic 3D SAR

ABSTRACT There is significant interest in multistatic SAR image formation, due to the increased development of satellite constellations and UAV swarms for remote sensing applications. The exploitation of the finer resolution and wider coverage of these geometries has been shown to reduce the often‐impractical data collection requirements of 3D SAR imagery; this offers advantages such as improved target identification and the removal of layover artefacts. This paper presents a novel polarimetric generalisation of the SSARVI algorithm, which was previously developed to exploit sparse aperture multistatic collections for 3D SAR image formation. The new algorithm presented here, named the PolSSARVI algorithm, combines polarimetrically weighted interferograms for determining the 3D scatterer locations from sparse aperture polarimetric collections. The bistatic generalised Huynen fork polarimetric parameters are then determined for the multistatic PolSSARVI 3D SAR renderings. This new approach was tested on both simulated and experimental data. Experimental imagery was formed using measurements from the Cranfield GBSAR laboratory.