Performance Comparison of Techniques for Obtaining Stereo Radar Images

The performance of three stereo radar techniques is compared with respect to both theoretical performance and performance in the presence of errors. The three techniques are: an improved single flight technique, a previously proposed single flight technique, and a two flight technique. Theoretical data for comparison of image parameters affecting perf ormance have been generated with computer simulations of the imaging geometries for the techniques. The comparison shows that the improved technique will have images with greater similarity resulting in improved stereoviewability and measurability. Computer simulations have also been used to generate sensitivities of computed terrain point coordinates to system errors. These sensitivities are shown and overall error comparisons are made for assumed error values. These comparisons show that the improved single flight technique has the best error performance of the three techniques for the assumed reasonable set of system errors. This technique is followed by the previously proposed single flight technique and then the two flight technique.