Histogram SAR Tomography: Model and SAR Observations

Abstract:
Histogram SAR tomography, or SAR histomography, is an imaging technique that utilizes single-baseline interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) histograms to infer the vertical structure of vegetation. InSAR histograms are obtained by binning SAR image pixel values, such as backscatter, according to their interferometric phase values. InSAR histograms are a proxy for vegetation structure, from which surface topography and tree height can be extracted. This paper reviews the histomography algorithm and proposes a model for evaluating the algorithm performance. New histomogram results obtained at tropical forests imaged in previous NASA/JPL UAVSAR airborne campaigns are reported to support the method.