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Volumetric synthetic aperture radar (VolSAR) analysis techniques and image formation algorithms suitable for short ranges and large scenes are presented. From a diffractive wave field inversion perspective, ultrawide beamwidth and near range SAR imaging scenarios can be viewed as a form of in situ SAR. Novel Huygens–Fresnel processing methods are introduced that empower in situ volumetric imaging with 2-D and 3-D aperture synthesis. These methods support coherent fusion across multiple separated frequency bands and also support spatial subaperture fusion of data from sparse sensor swarms. A novel signal analysis tool we call a chirp couplet is developed and shown to be useful in the expression and exploitation of temporal and spatial SAR chirp signals. Chirp couplets provide a physically motivated and unifying tool for both temporal and spatial elements in SAR signal analysis. In the temporal domain, chirp couplets provide a generalized formulation of the coupling of time and frequency that exists, for example, in linear frequency modulated waveforms. In the spatial domain, chirp couplets describe the coupling of sensor position and sensed wavenumber. Formulations of chirp couplets suitable for ray tomographic SAR algorithms (i.e., polar format algorithms) are contrasted with chirp couplets capable of supporting diffractive tomographic SAR algorithms (i.e., Stolt format algorithms). Scenarios in which diffraction limited resolution can be achieved with in situ VolSAR and finite length synthetic apertures are explored. VolSAR imaging methods are shown to escape the approximations that constrain the application and performance of range-Doppler and polar format methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Image-driven data mining methods are described for image content segmentation, classification, and attribution, where each pixel location of an image-under-analysis is the center point of a pixel-block query that returns an estimated class label. Feature attribute estimates may also be mined when sufficient attribute strata exist in the data warehouse. Novel methods are presented for pixel-block mining, pattern similarity scoring, class label assignments, and attribute mining. These methods are based on a direct sum tree structure called a σ-tree that is utilized with near-neighbor similarity scoring. The σ-tree structure provides a solution to the challenge of high computation/memory costs of pixel-block similarity searching. The σ-trees are integrated into warehouse subsystems that provide referential capability into feature attribute data, resulting in a foundation for data mining called Source Optimized, Labeled, DIgital Expanded Representations (SOLDIER). The variable depth "bit-plane" data representations produced by σ-tree path selections provide an approach to image content segmentation, and provide a structure for formulation of Bayesian classification with data-adaptive Parzen classifiers with variably sized windows. Preliminary methods and results for postprocessing of mined feature-thematic layers for higher level scene understanding are also presented. Sample results are shown with synthetic aperture radar images and with high-resolution pan-sharpened satellite images of the Payagala, Sri Lanka area before the site was devastated by the 2004 Asian Tsunami. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detection, classification, and attribution of high- resolution satellite image features in nearshore areas in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in Gulfport, MS, are investigated for damage assessments and emergency response planning. A system-level approach based on image-driven data mining with σ-tree structures is demonstrated and evaluated. Results show a capability to detect hurricane debris fields and storm-impacted nearshore features (such as wind-damaged buildings, sand de- posits, standing water, etc.) and an ability to detect and classify nonimpacted features (such as buildings, vegetation, roadways, railways, etc.). The σ-tree-based image information mining capability is demonstrated to be useful in disaster response planning by detecting blocked access routes and autonomously discovering candidate rescue/recovery staging areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image classification for late-season rural land-cover estimation is investigated. A novel tree-structured nearest neighbor-like classifier is applied to polarimetric SAR intensity image pixel blocks. The novel tree structure, called a or-tree, is generated by an ordered summation of unweighted template refinements. Computation and memory costs of a σ-tree classifier grow linearly. The reduced costs of or-tree classifiers are obtained with the tradeoff of a guarantee of nearest neighbor mappings. Causal-anticausal refinement-template design methods, combined with causal multiple-stage search engine structures, are shown to yield sequential search decisions that are acceptably near-neighbor mappings. The performance of a σ-tree classifier is demonstrated for rural land-cover estimation with detected polarimetric C-band AirSAR pixel data. Experiments are conducted on various polarization/pixel block size combinations to evaluate the relative utility of spatial-only, polarimetric-only, and combined spatial/polarimetric classifier inputs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]