Citation:
International Journal of Remote Sensing, 2001, vol. 22, no. 4, 705–710
Abstract:
High spatial resolution 3-D SAR imagery was recorded by the UK’s
Natural Environment Research Council GB-SAR Microwave Measurement
Facility at the University of Sheffield. X-band V V polarisation measurements
were made using a near-field monostatic imaging system inside an anechoic
chamber. The measurement process employs vector network analyser techniques
to sample backscatteredsignals over a 2-D aperture, allowing a 3-D reconstruction
of a target. This technique is used to provide a detailed 3-D map of the spatial
scattering behaviour of a small Colorado Blue Spruce tree (Picea pungens glauca).
The images produced are at a su“ ciently high spatial resolution ( ~ 5 cm) that
individual plant components can be discerned. An ability to select any volume
pixel from within the target allows features in the microwave reconstruction to
be readily associated with structures in the tree. The scattering behaviour associ-ated
with the uppermost set of branches shows it to be dominated by scattering
from the branch tips.