A Review of Ten-Year Advances of Multi-Baseline SAR Interferometry Using TerraSAR-X Data

Abstract

Since its launch in 2007, TerraSAR-X has continuously provided spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images of our planet with unprecedented spatial resolution, geodetic, and geometric accuracy. This has brought life to the once inscrutable SAR images, which deterred many researchers. Thanks to merits like higher spatial resolution and more precise orbit control, we are now able to indicate individual buildings, even individual floors, to pinpoint targets within centimeter accuracy. As a result, multi-baseline SAR interferometric (InSAR) techniques are flourishing, from point target-based algorithms, to coherent stacking techniques, to absolute positioning of the former techniques. This article reviews the recent advances of multi-baseline InSAR techniques using TerraSAR-X images. Particular focus was put on our own development of persistent scatterer interferometry, SAR tomography, robust estimation in distributed scatterer interferometry and absolute positioning using geodetic InSAR. Furthermore, by introducing the applications associated with these techniques, such as 3D reconstruction and deformation monitoring, this article is also intended to give guidance to wider audiences who would like to resort to SAR data and related techniques for their applications.

Ten Years of TerraSAR-X—Scientific Results

“…The 20 papers of this special issue cover six major disciplines. Five papers [1][2][3][4][5] deal with interferometric applications for land surface deformation mapping. A key success factor here is the high resolution, which enables the mapping of smaller landslides, of single buildings and of infrastructure.…”

Application of DInSAR-PSI Technology for Deformation Monitoring of the Mosul Dam, Iraq

“…The PSI is a suitable technique to monitor dam deformation that allows to gather data on its subsidence [8,[12][13][14][15][16][17]. A detailed description of the DInSAR and PSI and their applications can be found in [7,[18][19][20].…”

New Approaches for Robust and Efficient Detection of Persistent Scatterers in SAR Tomography

“…Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) tomography is a powerful remote sensing technique, which allows SAR imaging to be extended to three-dimensional (3-D) imaging of volumetric targets using several images of a scene acquired with different viewing angles [6][7][8][9][10]. This gives it the ability to separate multiple dominant scatterers in a resolution cell.…”

“…In [8,[25][26][27], spatiotemporal filtering method was presented for large-scale APS calibration, which is extensively employed in PSI. This method relies on the setting of the filtering parameter.…”