A Tomographic Approach for Nadir-Looking Synthetic Aperture Radar (NadirSAR) Imaging

The team proposes a 3D SAR algorithm based on the principles of radar tomography, which allows for transmitters and receivers to be arbitrarily located in a 3D volume. Data is collected and the output is a complete true 3D image of the reflectivity scene. The tomographic SAR provides detailed features on both horizontal (e.g., flat terrain) and vertical (e.g., building or canyons). With a proper management of the flight path, a true 3D image at steep grazing angles can be achieved with horizontal and vertical resolutions equal and most likely greater than the existing method of stacking 2D SAR images taken at different elevations. The team plans to utilize the University of Daytons Mumma Radar Laboratory for controlled indoor Phase I data collections, and the BSI SAR Drone System for outdoor, real world data collections in Phase I and II.