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Department Radar Concepts (Dr. Gerhard Krieger)

New radar concepts

The Radar Concepts department develops and analyzes innovative techniques for future radar remote sensing systems and applications.

The research areas cover a wide spectrum, including the investigation of new SAR imaging modes based on digital beamforming and multi-aperture signal processing, the analysis of bistatic and multistatic satellite formations, and the quantitative retrieval of bio- and geophysical parameters from interferometric and polarimetric SAR data.

Further topics are wide-area traffic monitoring, the modelling of microwave scattering and propagation in the atmosphere, the development of new sensor concepts for the detection of tsunamis, and the parasitic use of communication and navigation signals for innovative radar applications.

Main objectives of the department’s activities are the development and the design of future radar remote sensing missions for earth observation applications. Our long-term vision is a reconfigurable network of multiple cooperative SAR satellites which is well suited to satisfy the increasing user demands regarding operational availability, timeliness and data quality.

Research and Project Groups

SAR Techniques (Dr. Marwan Younis)

The group “SAR Techniques“ develops and analyses innovative multi-aperture radar imaging techniques for future SAR systems. An important example is the conceptual design and analysis of new high-resolution wide-swath radar imaging systems which combine digital beamforming and multi-aperture signal processing to overcome the inherent limitations of current SAR sensors. Further research topics are ground moving object indication for wide-area traffic monitoring applications, the development of novel hybrid and adaptive radar imaging modes, the efficient data reduction in multi-channel SAR systems and the development of a compact multi-channel radar demonstrator. The group participates in several national and international studies and supports the TanDEM-X mission in the areas instrument synchronisation and interferometric performance analysis.

SAR Missions (Dr. Paco Lopez-Dekker)

The group “SAR Missions“ develops and elaborates proposals for future SAR missions. The user requirements are analyzed and appropriate mission concepts are derived. The definition of the mission and product parameters requires detailed investigations regarding performance, coverage, revisit times, orbit geometry, etc. Implementation trade-offs are analysed and the mission design is optimized by developing global performance models. The new mission concepts will also employ advanced SAR imaging techniques and technologies like multi-channel receiver systems, digital beamforming, and multistatic satellite formations. The mostly theoretical work is complemented by proof-of-concept experiments of novel acquisition techniques using TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X.

Polarimetric SAR Interferometry (Prof. Dr. Irena Hajnsek)

The main objective of the „Polarimetric SAR Interferometry“ (Pol-InSAR) group is the development of innovative algorithms for the retrieval; of bio- and geophysical parameters from multi-channel SAR data. The coherent combination of SAR interferograms at different polarisations by means of Pol-InSAR has been developed from the very beginning and is today an established technique that promises a break-through in essential remote sensing problems. Structural parameters of volume scatterers in the bio- and cryosphere such as vegetation height, structure, biomass, snow depth, and ice layering are critical inputs for ecological process modelling and enable monitoring of eco-system change. The development of inversion techniques and the validation of Pol-InSAR applications are performed in close collaboration with international experts and institutions. Further research topics are in the application of SAR polarimetry and bistatic SAR polarimetry. The group contributes to several international science development studies and supports the science of ongoing missions through the coordinating and/or active participation of the science teams and the organisation of dedicated demonstration and validation campaigns.

Information Retrieval (Dr. Konstantinos P. Papathanassiou)

The group "Information Retrieval" focuses on the development, implementation and validation of new algorithms and techniques in actual and future space-borne missions. The expertise and experience of the group allows to cover a wide spectrum of activities: The development of physical modelling and inversion techniques, the implementation of the associated performance analysis models; the development of innovative calibration schemes until and techniques aa well as the design and analysis of demonstrations experiments. The group leads and contributes to several international studies and is active in the science and science advisory teams of national, European and international SAR missions and mission proposals.

Projects and Contracts

Contacts

Dr.-Ing. Gerhard Krieger
Head of Department Radar Concepts
Microwaves and Radar Institute, Radar Concepts
Oberpfaffenhofen-Wessling
Tel.: +49 8153 28-3054
Fax: +49 8153 28-1449

Dr.-Ing. Marwan Younis
Head of the SAR Techniques Group
Microwaves and Radar Institute, Radar Concepts
Oberpfaffenhofen-Wessling
Tel.: +49 8153 28-2358
Fax: +49 8153 28-1449

Dr.-Ing. Paco Lopez Dekker
Head of the SAR-Missions Group
Microwaves and Radar Institute, Radar Concepts
Oberpfaffenhofen-Wessling
Tel.: +49 8153 28-3144
Fax: +49 8153 28-1449

Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Irena Hajnsek
Head of the Polarimetric SAR Interferometry Group
Microwaves and Radarinstitute, Radar Concepts
Oberpfaffenhofen-Wessling
Tel.: +49 8153 28-2363
Fax: +49 8153 28-1449

Dr.-Ing. Kostas Papathanassiou
Head of the Information Retrieval Group
Microwaves and Radar Institute, Radar Concepts
Oberpfaffenhofen-Wessling
Tel.: +49 8153 28-2367
Fax: +49 8153 28-1449