Power of SAR Imagery and Machine Learning in Monitoring Ulva prolifera:A Case Study of Sentinel-1 and Random Forest

Automatically detecting Ulva prolifera(U.prolifera)in rainy and cloudy weather using remote sensing imagery has been a long-standing problem.Here,we address this challenge by combining high-resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar(SAR)imagery with the machine learning,and detect the U.prolifera of the South Yellow Sea of China(SYS)in 2021.The findings indicate that the Random Forest model can accurately and robustly detect U.prolifera,even in the presence of complex ocean backgrounds and speckle noise.Visual inspection confirmed that the method successfully identified the majority of pixels containing U.prolifera without misidentifying noise pixels or seawater pixels as U.prolifera.Additionally,the method demonstrated consistent performance across different im-ages,with an average Area Under Curve(AUC)of 0.930(+0.028).The analysis yielded an overall accuracy of over 96%,with an average Kappa coefficient of 0.941(+0.038).Compared to the traditional thresholding method,Random Forest model has a lower estimation error of 14.81%.Practical application indicates that this method can be used in the detection of unprecedented U.prolifera in 2021 to derive continuous spatiotemporal changes.This study provides a potential new method to detect U.prolifera and enhances our under-standing of macroalgal outbreaks in the marine environment.

Fast segmentation approach for SAR image based on simple Markov random field

Traditional image segmentation methods based on MRF converge slowly and require pre-defined weight. These disadvantages are addressed, and a fast segmentation approach based on simple Markov random field （MRF） for SAR image is proposed. The approach is firstly used to perform coarse segmentation in blocks. Then the image is modeled with simple MRF and adaptive variable weighting forms are applied in homogeneous and heterogeneous regions. As a result, the convergent speed is accelerated while the segmentation results in homogeneous regions and boarders are improved. Simulations with synthetic and real SAR images demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Case study on the extraction of land cover information from the SAR image of a coal mining area

In this study,analyses are conducted on the information features of a construction site,a cornfield and subsidence seeper land in a coal mining area with a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image of medium resolution. Based on features of land cover of the coal mining area,on texture feature extraction and a selection method of a gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) of the SAR image,we propose in this study that the optimum window size for computing the GLCM is an appropriate sized window that can effectively distinguish different types of land cover. Next,a band combination was carried out over the text feature images and the band-filtered SAR image to secure a new multi-band image. After the transformation of the new image with principal component analysis,a classification is conducted selectively on three principal component bands with the most information. Finally,through training and experimenting with the samples,a better three-layered BP neural network was established to classify the SAR image. The results show that,assisted by texture information,the neural network classification improved the accuracy of SAR image classification by 14.6%,compared with a classification by maximum likelihood estimation without texture information.

Underwater topography detection of Shuangzi Reefs with SAR images acquired in different time

Imaging mechanism of underwater topography by SAR and a underwater topography SAR detection model built on the theory of underwater topography detection with SAR image presented by Yuan Yeli are used to detect the underwater topography of Shuangzi Reefs in the Nansha Islands with three scenes of SAR images acquired in different time. Detection results of three SAR images are compared with the chart topography and the detection errors are analyzed. Underwater topography detection experiments of Shuangzi Reefs show that the detection model is practicable. The detection results indicate that SAR images acquired in different time also can be used to detect the underwater topography, and the detection results are affected by the ocean conditions in the SAR acquiring time.

SAR Images Despeckling Based on Bayesian Estimation and Fuzzy Shrinkage in Wavelet Domains

An efficient despeclding algorithm is proposed based on stationary wavelet transform （SWT） for synthetic aperture radar （SAR） images. The statistical model of wavelet coefficients is analyzed and its performance is modeled with a mixture density of two zero-mean Gaussian distributions. A fuzzy shrinkage factor is derived based on the minimum mean square error （MMSE） criteria with Bayesian estimation. In the case above, the ideas of region division and fuzzy shrinkage arc adopted according to the interscale dependencies among wavelet coefficients. The noise-free wavelet coefficients are estimated accurately. Experimental results show that the algorithm proposed is superior to the refined Lee filter, wavelet soft thresbolding shrinkage and SWT shrinkage algorithms in terms of smoothing effects and edges preservation.

A detection model of underwater topography with a series of SAR images acquired at different time

underwater topography is one of oceanic features detected by Synthetic Aperture Radar.Underwater topography SAR imaging mechanism shows that tidal current is the important factor for underwater topography SAR imaging.Thus under the same wind field condition,SAR images for the same area acquired at different time include different information of the underwater topography.To utilize synchronously SAR images acquired at different time for the underwater topography SAR detection and improve the precision of detection,based on the detection model of underwater topography with single SAR image and the periodicity of tidal current,a detection model of underwater topography with a series of SAR images acquired at different time is developed by combing with tide and tidal current numerical simulation.To testify the feasibility of the presented model,Taiwan Shoal located at the south outlet of Taiwan Strait is selected as study area and three SAR images are used in the underwater topography detection.The detection results are compared with the field observation data of water depth carried out by R/V Dongfanghong 2,and the errors of the detection are compared with those of the single SAR image.All comparisons show that the detection model presented in the paper improves the precision of underwater topography SAR detection,and the presented model is feasible.

Unsupervised Change Detection in Multitemporal SAR Images Using MRF Models

An unsupervised change-detection method that considers the spatial contextual information in a log-ratio difference image generated from multitemporal SAR images is proposed. A Markov random filed (MRF) model is particularly employed to exploit statistical spatial correlation of intensity levels among neighboring pixels. Under the assumption of the independency of pixels and mixed Gaussian distribution in the log-ratio difference image, a stochastic and iterative EM-MPM change-detection algorithm based on an MRF model is developed. The EM-MPM algorithm is based on a maximiser of posterior marginals (MPM) algorithm for image segmentation and an expectation-maximum (EM) algorithm for parameter estimation in a completely automatic way. The experiment results obtained on multitemporal ERS-2 SAR images show the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Nearshore Wave Field Analysis Using SAR Images

Satellite remote sensing technique offers a wide range of information, and is one of the tools for ocean wave observation. This paper discusses the limitations of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images in wave field analysis. It is found that the wave field analysis is affected by the gray value distribution of image and the relationship between satellite travel and wave propagation directions. Since human activities and coastal engineering are performed in nearshore areas, some issues are discussed for nearshore SAR image analysis. Several case studies show that the wave parameters estimated from nearshore SAR images are quite different from in situ measurements, suggesting that the wave information derived from nearshore SAR images cannot appropriately represent the wave characteristics. One of the reasons is that the wave field is non homogeneous in the nearshore area.

DETECTION OF SHIP WAKES IN SAR IMAGE USING ROTATED WINDOW RADON TRANSFORM

A novel method of rotated window Radon transform is developed for identifying the linear texture in SAR image.It is applied to automatic detection of the ship wakes of SEASAT SAR image.The location and direction of the traveling ship can be quickly and accurately detectec,In some cases, the ship velocity can also be obtained.

A method of automatic shape depiction and information extraction for oceanic eddies in SAR images

Synthetic aperture radar （SAR） provides a large amount of image data for the observation and research of oceanic eddies. The use of SAR images to automatically depict the shape of eddies and extract the eddy information is of great significance to the study of the oceanic eddies and the application of SAR eddy images. In this paper, a method of automatic shape depiction and information extraction for oceanic eddies in SAR images is proposed, which is for the research of spiral eddies. Firstly, the skeleton image is got by the skeletonization of SAR image. Secondly, the logarithmic spirals detected in the skeleton image are drawn on the SAR image to depict the shape of oceanic eddies. Finally, the eddy information is extracted based on the results of shape depiction. The sentinel 1 SAR eddy images in the Black Sea area were used for the experiment in this paper. The experimental results show that the proposed method can automatically depict the shape of eddies and extract the eddy information. The shape depiction results are consistent with the actual shape of the eddies, and the extracted eddy information is consistent with the reference information extracted by manual operation. As a result, the validity of the method is verified.

Object Detection Research of SAR Image Using Improved Faster Region-Based Convolutional Neural Network

Target detection technology of synthetic aperture radar(SAR)imageis widely used in the field of military reconnaissance and surveillance.The traditional SAR image target detection methods need to be provided a lot of empirical knowledge because the characteristics of SAR images in different configurations(attitude,pitch angle,imaging parameters,etc.)will change greatly,resulting in high generalization error.Currently,deep learning method has achieved great success in the field of image processing.Research shows that deep learning can achieve a more intrinsic description of the data,while the model has a stronger ability of modeling and generalization.In order to solve the problem of insufficient data in SAR data sets,an experimental system for acquiring SAR image data in real scenes was built.Then the transfer learning method and the improved convolution neural network algorithm(PCA+Faster R-CNN)are applied to improve the target detection precision.Finally,experimental results demonstrate the significant effectiveness of the proposed method.

Bayesian-Based Speckle Suppression for SAR Image Using Contourlet Transform

A novel and efficient speckle noise reduction algorithm based on Bayesian contourlet shrinkage using contourlet transform is proposed.First,we show the sub-band decompositions of SAR images using contourle transforms,which provides sparse representation at both spatial and directional resolutions.Then,a Bayesian contourlet shrinkage factor is applied to the decomposed data to estimate the best value for noise-free contourle coefficients.Experimental results show that compared with conventional wavelet despeckling algorithm,the proposed algorithm can achieve an excellent balance between suppresses speckle effectively and preserve image details,and the significant information of origina image like textures and contour details is well ma intained.

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF SEVERAL FUSION APPROACHES FOR CCD/SAR IMAGES

Several image fusion approaches for CCD/SAR images are studied and the performance evaluation of these fusion approaches is completed in this paper. Firstly, the preprocessing of CCD/SAR images before fusion is fulfilled. Then, the image fusion methods including linear superposition, nonlinear operator method and multiresolution methods, of which the multiresolution methods include Laplacian pyramid, ratio pyramid, contrast pyramid, gradient pyramid, morphological pyramid and discrete wavelet transform, are adopted to fuse two types of images. Lastly, the four performance measures, standard deviation, entropy, cross entropy and spatial frequency, are calculated to compare the fusion results by different fusion approaches in this paper. Experimental results show that contrast pyramid, morphology pyramid and discrete wavelet transformation in multiresolution approaches are more suitable for CCD/SAR image fusion than other ones proposed in this paper and the objective performance evaluation of CCD/SAR image fusion approaches are effective.

SAR Image Coregistration Using Fringe Definition Detection

In order to overcome the limitation of cross correlation coregistration method for Synthetic Aperture Radar （SAR） interferometric pairs with low coherence, a new image coregistration algorithm based on Fringe Definition Detection （FDD） is presented in this paper. The Fourier transformation was utilized to obtain spectrum characteristics of interferometric fringes. The ratio between spectrum mean and peak was proposed as the evaluation index for identifying homologous pixels from interferometric images. The satellites ERS-1/2 C-band SAR acquisitions covering the Yangtze River plain delta, eastern China and ALOS/PALSAR L-band images over the Longmen Shan mountainous area, southwestern China were respectively employed in the experiment to validate the proposed coregistration method. The testing results suggested that the derived Digital Elevation Model （DEM） from FDD method had good agreement with that from the cross correlation method as well as the reference DEM at high coherence area. However, The FDD method achieved a totally improved topographic mapping accuracy by 24 percent in comparison to the cross correlation method. The FDD method also showed better robustness and achieved relatively higher performance for SAR image eoregistration in mountainous areas with low coherence.

PAN-DeSpeck:A Lightweight Pyramid and Attention-Based Network for SAR Image Despeckling

SAR images commonly suffer fromspeckle noise,posing a significant challenge in their analysis and interpretation.Existing convolutional neural network(CNN)based despeckling methods have shown great performance in removing speckle noise.However,these CNN-basedmethods have a fewlimitations.They do not decouple complex background information in amulti-resolutionmanner.Moreover,they have deep network structures thatmay result in many parameters,limiting their applicability tomobile devices.Furthermore,extracting key speckle information in the presence of complex background is also a major problem with SAR.The proposed study addresses these limitations by introducing a lightweight pyramid and attention-based despeckling(PAN-Despeck)network.The primary objective is to enhance image quality and enable improved information interpretation,particularly on mobile devices and scenarios involving complex backgrounds.The PAN-Despeck network leverages domainspecific knowledge and integrates Gaussian Laplacian image pyramid decomposition for multi-resolution image analysis.By utilizing this approach,complex background information can be effectively decoupled,leading to enhanced despeckling performance.Furthermore,the attention mechanism selectively focuses on key speckle features and facilitates complex background removal.The network incorporates recursive and residual blocks to ensure computational efficiency and accelerate training speed,making it lightweight while maintaining high performance.Through comprehensive evaluations,it is demonstrated that PAN-Despeck outperforms existing image restoration methods.With an impressive average peak signal-to-noise ratio(PSNR)of 28.355114 and a remarkable structural similarity index(SSIM)of 0.905467,it demonstrates exceptional performance in effectively reducing speckle noise in SAR images.The source code for the PAN-DeSpeck network is available on GitHub.

Road network extraction in classified SAR images using genetic algorithm

Due to the complicated background of objectives and speckle noise, it is almost impossible to extract roads directly from original synthetic aperture radar(SAR) images. A method is proposed for extraction of road network from high-resolution SAR image. Firstly, fuzzy C means is used to classify the filtered SAR image unsupervisedly, and the road pixels are isolated from the image to simplify the extraction of road network. Secondly, according to the features of roads and the membership of pixels to roads, a road model is constructed, which can reduce the extraction of road network to searching globally optimization continuous curves which pass some seed points. Finally, regarding the curves as individuals and coding a chromosome using integer code of variance relative to coordinates, the genetic operations are used to search global optimization roads. The experimental results show that the algorithm can effectively extract road network from high-resolution SAR images.

A Novel SAR Image Ship Small Targets Detection Method

To satisfy practical requirements of high real-time accuracy and low computational complexity of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image ship small target detection, this paper proposes a small ship target detection method based on the improved You Only Look Once Version 3 (YOLOv3). The main contributions of this study are threefold. First, the feature extraction network of the original YOLOV3 algorithm is replaced with the VGG16 network convolution layer. Second, general convolution is transformed into depthwise separable convolution, thereby reducing the computational cost of the algorithm. Third, a residual network structure is introduced into the feature extraction network to reuse the shallow target feature information, which enhances the detailed features of the target and ensures the improvement in accuracy of small target detection performance. To evaluate the performance of the proposed method, many experiments are conducted on public SAR image datasets. For ship targets with complex backgrounds and small ship targets in the SAR image, the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is verified. Results show that the accuracy and recall rate improved by 5.31% and 2.77%, respectively, compared with the original YOLOV3. Furthermore, the proposed model not only significantly reduces the computational effort, but also improves the detection accuracy of ship small target.

De-Speckling of SAR Images with Fuzzy Filters along with Altered Preserved Edge Values

In this research, the denoising of speckled SAR image has been done with fuzzy filters (ATMED, TMED, ATMAV & TMAV). SAR image or Synthetic Aperture Radar image consists of the informatics of ISW (Internal solitary waves). A new technique has been proposed which preserved the edge pixels by fuzzy edge detection method and then altered with the filtered image-pixels by fuzzy filtration for getting the denoised image. The comparative result shows that the proposed filter performs better than the other filtered results in terms of PSNR (41.61 dB), MAE (1.47), MSE (4.54) for TMAVxAPE & SSIM (81%) for ATMEDwAPE. The proposed method in this research shows better SSI (Spackle Suppression Index) value. Therefore the experimental result illustrates that the suggested fuzzy filter is much more capable of simultaneously protecting edges and suppressing speckle noise. This research will be beneficial to remove spackle noise from SAR images and can be used for remote sensing and mapping of surface area of earth.

Edge Detection of River in SAR Image Based on Contourlet Modulus Maxima and Improved Mathematical Morphology

To cope with the problems that edge detection operators are liable to make the detected edges too blurry for synthetic aperture radar(SAR)images,an edge detection method for detecting river in SAR images is proposed based on contourlet modulus maxima and improved mathematical morphology.The SAR image is firstly transformed to a contourlet domain.According to the directional information and gradient information of directional subband of contourlet transform,the modulus maximum and the improved mathematical morphology are used to detect high frequency and low frequency sub-image edges,respectively.Subsequently,the edges of river in SAR image are obtained after fusing the high frequency sub-image and the low frequency sub-image.Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed edge detection method can obtain more accurate edge location and reduce false edges,compared with the Canny method,the method based on wavelet and Canny,the method based on contourlet modulus maxima,and the method based on improved(ROEWA).The obtained river edges are complete and clear.

Underwater topography detection of Taiwan Shoal with SAR images

Under suitable conditions of tidal current and wind, underwater topography can be detected by synthetic aperture radar (SAR) indirectly. Underwater topography SAR imaging includes three physical processes: radar ocean surface backscattering, the modulation of sea surface short wave spectrum by the variations in sea surface currents, and the modulation of sea surface currents by the underwater topography. The first process is described usually by Bragg scattering theory because the incident angle of SAR is always between 20°-70°. The second process is described by the action balance equation. The third process is described by an ocean hydrodynamic model. Based on the SAR imaging mechanism for underwater topography, an underwater topography SAR detection model and a simplified method for its calculation are introduced. In the detection model, a two-dimensional hydrodynamic model – the shallow water model is used to describe the motion of tidal current. Due to the difficulty of determining the expression of SAR backscattering cross section in which some terms can not be determined, the backscattering cross section of SAR image used in the underwater topography SAR detection is pro-processed by the simulated SAR image of the coarse-grid water depth to simplify the calculation. Taiwan Shoal, located at the southwest outlet of Taiwan Strait, is selected as an evaluation area for this technique due to the occurrence of hundreds of sand waves. The underwater topography of Taiwan Shoal was detected by two scenes of ERS-2 SAR images which were acquired on 9 January 2000 and 6 June 2004. The detection results are compared with in situ measured water depths for three profiles. The average absolute and relative errors of the best detection result are 2.23 m and 7.5 %, respectively. These show that the detection model and the simplified method introduced in the paper is feasible.