Radar polarimetry applied to the classification of underground targets

Toshifumi Moriyama; Masafumi Nakamura; Yoshio Yamaguchi; Hiroyoshi Yamada; Wolfgang-Martin Boerner

doi:10.1117/12.278952

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23 December 1997 Radar polarimetry applied to the classification of underground targets

Toshifumi Moriyama, Masafumi Nakamura, Yoshio Yamaguchi, Hiroyoshi Yamada, Wolfgang-Martin Boerner

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Proceedings Volume 3120, Wideband Interferometric Sensing and Imaging Polarimetry; (1997) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.278952
Event: Optical Science, Engineering and Instrumentation '97, 1997, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

This paper discusses the classification of target buried in the underground by the radar polarimetry. The subsurface radar is used in the detection of objects buried beneath the ground surface, such as archeological exploration, pipes, gas cables and cavities. However, in addition to target echo, the subsurface radar receives various echoes including clutter, because the underground is inhomogeneous medium. Therefore, the subsurface radar needs the ability to distinguish these echoes. In order to enhance the ability, we first applied the polarization anisotropy coefficient to classify the echo into isotropic target (plate, sphere) and anisotropic target (wire, pipe). It is easy to find the man- made target buried in the underground by polarization anisotropy coefficient. Second, we used a three-component decomposition technique for a scattering matrix. Third, we tried to classify targets using polarimetric signature approach. Moreover, the characteristic polarization state gives the oriented angle of anisotropic target. Therefore, these values contribute the classification of the target. The field experiments using an FM-CW radar system were carried out to show the usefulness of the radar polarimetry. In this paper, several detection and classification results are displayed. It is shown that these techniques improve the detection capability of buried target.

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Toshifumi Moriyama, Masafumi Nakamura, Yoshio Yamaguchi, Hiroyoshi Yamada, and Wolfgang-Martin Boerner "Radar polarimetry applied to the classification of underground targets", Proc. SPIE 3120, Wideband Interferometric Sensing and Imaging Polarimetry, (23 December 1997); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.278952

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