Analytical modelling and software implementation of synthetic aperture radars

ABSTRACT

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging systems are a complement to passive remote sensing. However, the process of image formation is so complex that the final image in the system is formed only after three basic steps: raw data acquisition, forming the signal and the image space. In addition, there are various factors that are involved in the information recorded by SAR within the system and outside the system, such as radar, platform, processing algorithm, imaging region and channel. Each of these factors has been formed by many parameters and this issue adds to the complexity of the behaviour of SAR. Therefore, due to the complexity, providing a model that describes how the SAR imaging system works is highly important. In this paper, the performance of SAR in the image formation section is analytically modelled at first, and then implemented as software. Raw data acquisition is performed in CST software and the signal and image formation are performed in MATLAB software. This implementation provides many abilities, such as better interpretation of SAR images, simulating the effect of the important parameters in SAR images, etc.

KEYWORDS:

• Synthetic aperture radar (SAR)
• analytic model
• software implementation
• raw data acquisition
• signal and image space

Acknowledgement

The authors would like to thank everybody who supported and encouraged.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.