Comparison of Ship Detection Accuracy Based on Image Contrast with Different Combinations HH- and VV- polarization TerraSAR-X SAR Images

Abstract

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery has been used for maritime surveillance including ship detection and classification using the conventional intensity images as well as combinations of polarizations and frequencies. The ship-sea contrast due to the difference in phase and amplitude makes it possible to distinguish ships from the background. In the present study, quantitative comparisons based on the image contrast are made for ship detection accuracy using the conventional intensity images, entropy, correlation and phase difference images of dual-polarization SAR data. The results using TerraSAR-X HH- and VV-polarization images showed that the best performance was found with the coherence followed by entropy.st due to the difference in phase and amplitude makes it possible to distinguish ships from the background. In the present study, quantitative comparisons based on the image contrast are made for ship detection accuracy using the conventional intensity images, entropy, correlation and phase difference images of dual-polarization SAR data. The results using TerraSAR-X HH- and VV-polarization images showed that the best performance was found with the coherence followed by entropy.