Publications
Comments on rendering synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images
Once Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images are formed, they typically need to be stored in some file format which might restrict the dynamic range of what can be represented. Thereafter, for exploitation by human observers, the images might need to be displayed in a manner to reveal the subtle scene reflectivity characteristics the observer seeks, which generally requires further manipulation of dynamic range. Proper image scaling, for both storage and for display, to maximize the perceived dynamic range of interest to an observer depends on many factors, and an understanding of underlying data characteristics. While SAR images are typically rendered with grayscale, or at least monochromatic intensity variations, color might also be usefully employed in some cases. We analyze these and other issues pertaining to SAR image scaling, dynamic range, radiometric calibration, and display.