Demonstration of repeat-pass POLINSAR using UAVSAR: The RMOG model

In this paper we show our first POLINSAR results using the Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). UAVSAR is a L-band repeat-pass polarimetric and interferometric system designed for measuring vegetation structure and monitoring crustal deformations. In order to extract canopy height from POLINSAR data and account for temporal decorrelation, we formulate a physical model of the temporal-volumetric coherence, random motion over ground (RMOG) model. Canopy height extracted from single-baseline UAVSAR data using the RMOG model is shown to be in agreement with canopy height measured by the Land, Vegetation, and Ice Sensor (LVIS) lidar.