Generation and Calibration of High-Resolution DEM From Single-Baseline Spaceborne Interferometry: The “Split-Swath” Approach

This paper focuses on the generation of very high resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) mainly from single-baseline spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems. The stringent requirements on vertical accuracy demand for frequent and accurate measures of the baselines, subject to mechanical vibrations of the boom that may be severe when long booms are exploited. This paper proposes a solution that exploits an existent coarse-resolution DEM, for example, the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, as a set of ground control points (GCPs). A computational model and an inversion scheme are introduced to jointly take into account the information coming from the grid of GCP and the local shifts measured during image coregistration. The model properly takes account for the quality of the GCP, its location with respect to the target of interest, and the interferogram noise in correspondence to the GCP. A novel “split-swath” approach is proposed to enhance the quality of the baseline estimates. The mode exploits two narrow strips with significant diversity in incidence angle, achieved, for example, by ScanSAR or TOPSAR mode. An example of design is provided by assuming a Ka-band topographic spaceborne SAR mission.