Extraction of traffic flows and surface current information using Terrasar-X Along-track interferometry data

TerraSAR-X offers different possibilities for Along-track Interferometry (ATI) SAR data acquisition. This enables to test new SAR applications for the detection and measurement of moving ground objects from space. In this paper we demonstrate space-borne traffic flow measurements using TerraSAR-X ATI data and an automatic traffic data extraction processor. The obtained results evidence the potential of space-borne SAR for this particular application. The traffic information can be derived in near-real time, which underlines the practicability of the method. Another application of TerraSAR-X ATI is the measurement of water surface currents, of which we also show a first example.