A Modified Dual-Baseline PolInSAR Method for Forest Height Estimation
This paper investigates the potentials and limitations of a simple dual-baseline PolInSAR (DBPI) method for forest height inversion. This DBPI method follows the classical three-stage inversion method’s idea used in single baseline PolInSAR (SBPI) inversion, but it avoids the assumption of the small...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2017-08-01
|
| Series: | Remote Sensing |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/9/8/819 |
| _version_ | 1798031507230556160 |
|---|---|
| author | Qinghua Xie Jianjun Zhu Changcheng Wang Haiqiang Fu Juan M. Lopez-Sanchez J. David Ballester-Berman |
| author_facet | Qinghua Xie Jianjun Zhu Changcheng Wang Haiqiang Fu Juan M. Lopez-Sanchez J. David Ballester-Berman |
| author_sort | Qinghua Xie |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper investigates the potentials and limitations of a simple dual-baseline PolInSAR (DBPI) method for forest height inversion. This DBPI method follows the classical three-stage inversion method’s idea used in single baseline PolInSAR (SBPI) inversion, but it avoids the assumption of the smallest ground-to-volume amplitude ratio (GVR) by employing an additional baseline to constrain the inversion procedure. In this paper, we present for the first time an assessment of such a method on real PolInSAR data over boreal forest. Additionally, we propose an improvement on the original DBPI method by incorporating the sloped random volume over ground (S-RVoG) model in order to reduce the range terrain slope effect. Therefore, a digital elevation model (DEM) is needed to provide the slope information in the proposed method. Three scenes of P-band airborne PolInSAR data acquired by E-SAR and light detection and ranging (LIDAR) data available in the BioSAR2008 campaign are employed for testing purposes. The performance of the SBPI, DBPI, and modified DBPI methods is compared. The results show that the DBPI method extracts forest heights with an average root mean square error (RMSE) of 4.72 m against LIDAR heights for trees of 18 m height on average. It presents a significant improvement of forest height accuracy over the SBPI method (with a stand-level mean improvement of 42.86%). Concerning the modified DBPI method, it consistently improves the accuracy of forest height inversion over sloped areas. This improvement reaches a stand-level mean of 21.72% improvement (with a mean RMSE of 4.63 m) for slopes greater than 10°. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T19:57:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e62083858d7d40afb2fe39fcb940ba87 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T19:57:31Z |
| publishDate | 2017-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj.art-e62083858d7d40afb2fe39fcb940ba872022-12-22T04:05:57ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922017-08-019881910.3390/rs9080819rs9080819A Modified Dual-Baseline PolInSAR Method for Forest Height EstimationQinghua Xie0Jianjun Zhu1Changcheng Wang2Haiqiang Fu3Juan M. Lopez-Sanchez4J. David Ballester-Berman5School of Geosciences and Info-Physics, Central South University, Changsha 410083, ChinaSchool of Geosciences and Info-Physics, Central South University, Changsha 410083, ChinaSchool of Geosciences and Info-Physics, Central South University, Changsha 410083, ChinaSchool of Geosciences and Info-Physics, Central South University, Changsha 410083, ChinaInstitute for Computing Research (IUII), University of Alicante, E-03080 Alicante, SpainInstitute for Computing Research (IUII), University of Alicante, E-03080 Alicante, SpainThis paper investigates the potentials and limitations of a simple dual-baseline PolInSAR (DBPI) method for forest height inversion. This DBPI method follows the classical three-stage inversion method’s idea used in single baseline PolInSAR (SBPI) inversion, but it avoids the assumption of the smallest ground-to-volume amplitude ratio (GVR) by employing an additional baseline to constrain the inversion procedure. In this paper, we present for the first time an assessment of such a method on real PolInSAR data over boreal forest. Additionally, we propose an improvement on the original DBPI method by incorporating the sloped random volume over ground (S-RVoG) model in order to reduce the range terrain slope effect. Therefore, a digital elevation model (DEM) is needed to provide the slope information in the proposed method. Three scenes of P-band airborne PolInSAR data acquired by E-SAR and light detection and ranging (LIDAR) data available in the BioSAR2008 campaign are employed for testing purposes. The performance of the SBPI, DBPI, and modified DBPI methods is compared. The results show that the DBPI method extracts forest heights with an average root mean square error (RMSE) of 4.72 m against LIDAR heights for trees of 18 m height on average. It presents a significant improvement of forest height accuracy over the SBPI method (with a stand-level mean improvement of 42.86%). Concerning the modified DBPI method, it consistently improves the accuracy of forest height inversion over sloped areas. This improvement reaches a stand-level mean of 21.72% improvement (with a mean RMSE of 4.63 m) for slopes greater than 10°.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/9/8/819forest heightpolarimetric SAR interferometry (PolInSAR)dual-baselinesynthetic aperture radar (SAR)sloped random volume over ground (S-RVoG) modelP-band |
| spellingShingle | Qinghua Xie Jianjun Zhu Changcheng Wang Haiqiang Fu Juan M. Lopez-Sanchez J. David Ballester-Berman A Modified Dual-Baseline PolInSAR Method for Forest Height Estimation Remote Sensing forest height polarimetric SAR interferometry (PolInSAR) dual-baseline synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sloped random volume over ground (S-RVoG) model P-band |
| title | A Modified Dual-Baseline PolInSAR Method for Forest Height Estimation |
| title_full | A Modified Dual-Baseline PolInSAR Method for Forest Height Estimation |
| title_fullStr | A Modified Dual-Baseline PolInSAR Method for Forest Height Estimation |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Modified Dual-Baseline PolInSAR Method for Forest Height Estimation |
| title_short | A Modified Dual-Baseline PolInSAR Method for Forest Height Estimation |
| title_sort | modified dual baseline polinsar method for forest height estimation |
| topic | forest height polarimetric SAR interferometry (PolInSAR) dual-baseline synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sloped random volume over ground (S-RVoG) model P-band |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/9/8/819 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT qinghuaxie amodifieddualbaselinepolinsarmethodforforestheightestimation AT jianjunzhu amodifieddualbaselinepolinsarmethodforforestheightestimation AT changchengwang amodifieddualbaselinepolinsarmethodforforestheightestimation AT haiqiangfu amodifieddualbaselinepolinsarmethodforforestheightestimation AT juanmlopezsanchez amodifieddualbaselinepolinsarmethodforforestheightestimation AT jdavidballesterberman amodifieddualbaselinepolinsarmethodforforestheightestimation AT qinghuaxie modifieddualbaselinepolinsarmethodforforestheightestimation AT jianjunzhu modifieddualbaselinepolinsarmethodforforestheightestimation AT changchengwang modifieddualbaselinepolinsarmethodforforestheightestimation AT haiqiangfu modifieddualbaselinepolinsarmethodforforestheightestimation AT juanmlopezsanchez modifieddualbaselinepolinsarmethodforforestheightestimation AT jdavidballesterberman modifieddualbaselinepolinsarmethodforforestheightestimation |