One of the most challenging of the important topics concerning the exploitation of high resolution imagery from satellites is the derivation of height information. By themselves, high resolution optical sensors are often daunted in this quest by cloud cover which impedes their ability to collect images with temporal proximity, avoiding the confusion created by seasonal change. These sensors are also limited in their ability to resolve or remove the vegetation canopy effect. A solution is to take advantage of the recent proliferation of high resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites, that bring wavelengths capable of dealing with both the cloud and canopy challenge. Although processing systems and software exist to exploit electro-optical (EO) and SAR sensors independently, combined methods and systems to fuse these powerful sensors do not exist. The proposed effort joins companies with eminent capabilities in each of these areas, User Systems, Inc. for SAR and SAIC for the Optical sensors. We have worked together for over a decade on similar projects, and we will develop the methods and software to gain maximum benefit from the fusion of these two important sensors.
Potential Commercial Applications:The need for accurate height information has increased in recent years to support the ever expanding amount of digital photography. DEM databases are not currently available to meet the prescribed accuracy. This need is so great that the Defense Mapping Agency (DMA) is considering a project to fly an interferometric radar on the space shuttle and the Lockheed-Martin corporation has conceived a similar radar mapping mission of the entire U S. These missions, if they proceed, are many years away. Rich databases already exist to use optical and radar imagery to obtain height information, what is lacking is a method of deriving the necessary height information through fusion of both optical and SAR imagery. There are a host of commercial users in the resource management and utilization arena (oil and gas, geothermal, forests, watersheds, etc.). Other potential customers include the emerging commercial ventures that aim to produce high resolution imagery from space, Space Imaging, EarthWatch and companies that produce image analysis software such as ERDAS.
