Principles of Synthetic Aperture Radar Imaging: A System Simulation Approach (Signal and Image Processing of Earth Obser
Principles of Synthetic Aperture Radar Imaging: A System Simulation Approach demonstrates the use of image simulation for SAR. It covers the various applications of SAR (including feature extraction, target classification, and change detection), provides a complete understanding of SAR principles, and illustrates the complete chain of a SAR operation.
The book places special emphasis on a ground-based SAR, but also explains space and air-borne systems. It contains chapters on signal speckle, radar-signal models, sensor-trajectory models, SAR-image focusing, platform-motion compensation, and microwave-scattering from random media.
While discussing SAR image focusing and motion compensation, it presents processing algorithms and applications that feature extraction, target classification, and change detection. It also provides samples of simulation on various scenarios, and includes simulation flowcharts and results that are detailed throughout the book.
Introducing SAR imaging from a systems point of view, the author:
- Considers the recent development of MIMO SAR technology
- Includes selected GPU implementation
- Provides a numerical analysis of system parameters (including platforms, sensor, and image focusing, and their influence)
- Explores wave-target interactions, signal transmission and reception, image formation, motion compensation
- Covers all platform motion compensation and error analysis, and their impact on final image radiometric and geometric quality
- Describes a ground-based SFMCW system
Principles of Synthetic Aperture Radar Imaging: A System Simulation Approach is dedicated to the use, study, and development of SAR systems. The book focuses on image formation or focusing, treats platform motion and image focusing, and is suitable for students, radar engineers, and microwave remote sensing researchers.
Why Read This Book
You will gain an end-to-end, system-level understanding of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) by building and using realistic SAR image simulations that tie theory to practice. The book emphasizes hands-on techniques for focusing, platform-motion compensation, speckle modeling, and application workflows (feature extraction, classification, change detection) so you can evaluate algorithms in a controlled, repeatable environment.
Who Will Benefit
Engineers and researchers working in radar signal processing, remote sensing, or SAR algorithm development who need a practical, simulation-driven perspective on SAR imaging and processing.
Level: Advanced — Prerequisites: Undergraduate/graduate-level knowledge of signals and systems, digital signal processing (Fourier transforms, filtering, FFT), basic electromagnetics/radar principles, probability and statistics, and familiarity with MATLAB or a similar numerical computing environment.
Key Takeaways
- Develop a system-level SAR simulator to reproduce ground-, air-, and spaceborne SAR imagery for algorithm testing
- Implement SAR image-formation algorithms (range–Doppler, chirp-scaling, and backprojection) and use FFT-based spectral analysis for efficient processing
- Apply platform-motion compensation and autofocus techniques to recover image quality from non-ideal trajectories
- Model speckle and microwave scattering from random media and use statistical signal-processing approaches to analyze imaging performance
- Design and evaluate application workflows for target detection, classification, and change detection using simulated SAR data
Topics Covered
- 1. Introduction to SAR and System-Simulation Philosophy
- 2. Radar Fundamentals and Signal Representation
- 3. SAR Geometry, Sensor-Trajectory Models, and Coordinate Systems
- 4. Radar Signal Models and Pulse Compression
- 5. Microwave Scattering, Random Media, and Speckle
- 6. SAR System Simulation Framework and Data Generation
- 7. Range and Azimuth Processing: FFTs and Spectral Analysis
- 8. Image Formation Algorithms: Range–Doppler, Chirp-Scaling, Backprojection
- 9. Platform-Motion Effects and Motion-Compensation Techniques
- 10. Autofocus, Phase Errors, and Calibration
- 11. Applications: Feature Extraction, Target Classification, Change Detection
- 12. Case Studies: Ground-Based, Airborne, and Spaceborne SAR
- 13. Implementation Notes, Performance Evaluation, and Validation
- Appendix: Example MATLAB Code and Simulation Recipes
Languages, Platforms & Tools
How It Compares
Compared with Cumming & Wong's Digital Signal Processing of Synthetic Aperture Radar (which focuses heavily on DSP theory and algorithms) and Curlander & McDonough's classic systems text, Chen's book is more simulation-driven and practical, with special emphasis on ground-based SAR and end-to-end experiment workflows.
