Spectral-Based Estimation of the Local Azimuth Ambiguity-to-Signal Ratio in SAR Images

An innovative technique to estimate the local azimuth ambiguity-to-signal ratio (AASR) in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images is presented. Unlike the backscatter-based (BB) technique, the proposed one, which is based on the spectral properties of the image, does not require that the areas responsible for the ambiguity lie within the focused image. Analysis of real TerraSAR-X data shows that the estimates of the proposed technique are consistent with the BB ones. Moreover, according to simulations, the proposed technique seems to provide more accurate estimates than the BB method, especially for high values of the local AASR.