The Remote Sensing Technology Institute develops signal processing algorithms for synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and software processors for ground segments in order to process the instrument raw data from the German Earth observation satellites TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X as well as the European SAR missions Sentinel-1 etc. into precise remote sensing products. As part of the VERITAS project, the institute is developing a processor together with JPL/NASA (USA) to process radar data from a future Venus mission. This is intended to generate a complete interferometric Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of Venus. This processor is based on existing processors that have already been used on Earth, but Venus has special conditions, such as the absence of GPS and significant atmospheric density and temperature. Therefore, the effects of these conditions need to be analysed and, as a result, significant adjustments to the algorithms need to be made. Also, the systems to be developed must be adapted to low data rates and on-board pre-processing.

The field of activity extends in detail to:

• development of algorithms for SAR interferometry and digital elevation models:
  • literature research and assessment of scientific publications on the subject area
  • development of new mathematical methods for SAR interferometry and interferometric DEM generation that go beyond the current state of scientific knowledge and span fundamentally different disciplines, in particular the following points:
    • scientific analysis of the previously unexplored special wave propagation conditions for bi-static SAR remote sensing in the Venus atmosphere, taking into account the latest findings in planetology and meteorology.
    • development of mathematical models and hypotheses for new algorithms to take into account the special physics of wave propagation
    • determination of coordinates on Venus with modern geodesy and astronomical orbit determination methods
    • simulation of data to test the hypotheses and models
    • critically discuss the hypotheses and models and agree with the NASA project scientists on the processing algorithms to be used.
  • development of algorithms for the global mosaicking of individual data sets into a global elevation model of Venus
  • implementing the procedures in prototypes and testing them
  • coding of the procedures in efficient code (e.g. Python, parallel C++)
  • publications of own research work
  • presentation at conferences and publications in journals
• project tasks in the VERITAS mission:
  • documentation of algorithms and results in English for international cooperation with JPL/NASA
  • close coordination with the project partners in terms of scheduling and content as well as representation of the project contributions in reviews and project meetings
  • verification and end-to-end testing of the processing systems