Description and applications of the multipolarized dual band OrbiSAR-1 InSAR sensor

In the last decade, interferometric SAR (InSAR) has reached a wide acceptance as being a suitable tool to generate high-precision digital elevation models. Especially in tropical areas, with nearly permanent cloud coverage, InSAR provides a cost-efficient means for mapping large areas in short time periods. However, the interaction of microwaves with vegetation is strongly dependant on their frequency, demanding a careful interpretation of the extracted information. Short waves like X-band are mainly scattered back from the top of the canopy, whereas P-band penetrates the foliage and gets reflected from trunk and soil, thus carrying the phase information (and therefore the height information as well) from bald earth. For the generation of topographic maps, generally the ground elevation rather than the surface elevation is required, whereas the surface and ground elevation together enable the estimation of additional physical parameters like vegetation height, density, or biomass.