Effects of target motion on polarimetric SAR images

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) processors are typically designed to image static scenes. Images of moving targets can therefore be seriously degraded with smearing and apparent shifts in the azimuth position. These effects are illustrated and evaluated using airborne SAR images of land targets. This study examines the potential of detecting motion and estimating velocity from polarimetric SAR (PolSAR) images. PolSAR systems transmit alternating vertically and horizontally polarized pulses. This, together with a reciprocity assumption, suggests the application of clutter cancellation methods. The feasibility of several methods of motion detection and velocity estimation from PolSAR images is evaluated.