Radar Descriptors for the Classification of Terrain Features.

An approach toward the automated extraction of terrain features from synthetic aperture radar SAR imagery is the development of sets of descriptors that uniquely and unambiguously characterize each feature. This investigation involves a detailed examination of 701 SAR image examples covering 29 types of man-made and natural terrain features. The descriptors represent attributes of the radar signatures from terrain features. The descriptors are developed by means of which image analysts identify the terrain features. The development of descriptors is guided by the objectives that the descriptors can be easily recognized and identified by untrained personnel and that they provide a baseline for interactive and automated feature extraction. The number of selected descriptors at this point is 52 and may change as the research progresses. A feature class is characterized by specific sets of descriptors. Because radar signatures of the same type of terrain feature will vary it is necessary to establish combination rules for descriptor sets.