Genetic Algorithm and Region Growing Based Road Detection in SAR Images

A new method for detecting roads in SAR images is presented in this paper. The method consists of four parts: preprocessing, Hough transform, genetic algorithm and region growing. In the preprocessing step, morphological operations are employed to remove many details in binarized SAR images. The Canny operator is applied to detect image edge, and small areas are deleted by using morphological area open operation. Hough transform is employed to extract lines. Genetic algorithm (GA) is used to search and connect road segments. Region growing approaches are utilized to extend road segments. The experimental results show that the proposed method can better detect roads in SAR images.