InSAR phase estimation advances for high-resolution TanDEM-X DEM generation

Abstract:
Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (InSAR) is nowadays a well established technique for the retrieval of ground topography from radar space-borne sensors. The TanDEM-X mission has provided high-resolution data at the X-band in a bistatic configuration, allowing for the generation of Digital Elevation Model (DEM) products with an unprecedented level of accuracy and resolution. The DEM quality is strongly influenced by the processing technique that is used for the retrieval of the interferometric phase from noisy SAR acquisitions. For this reason, the development of advanced processing techniques able to preserve DEM’s resolution and accuracy is a critical step for the whole interferometric processing chain. In this work, we present the last advances for the retrieval of the interferometric phase and assess the performance on the generated DEM.