Microwave imaging finds numerous applications involving optically obscured targets. One particular area is breast cancer detection, since microwave technology promises fast low-cost image reconstruction without the use of harmful radiation typical of X-ray mammography. However, the success of microwave imaging is hindered by a critical issue, the complex nature of near-field electromagnetic scattering in tissue. To overcome this, specialized image reconstruction algorithms alongside sensitive measurement hardware are required. In this work, real-time near-field microwave imaging algorithms known as quantitative microwave holography and scattered power mapping are explored. They are experimentally demonstrated to identify potential tumor regions in tissue phantoms. Alongside this development, quality control techniques for evaluating microwave hardware are also described. Two new methods for improving the image reconstruction quality are also presented. First, a novel technique, which combines two commonly used mathematical approximations of scattering (the Born and Rytov approximations), is demonstrated yielding improved image reconstructions due to the complimentary nature of the approximations. Second, a range migration algorithm is introduced which enables near-field refocusing of a point-spread function (PSF), which is critical for algorithms that rely on measured PSFs to perform image reconstruction. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Breast cancer remains as one of the highest causes of cancer-related deaths in women in Canada. Though X-ray mammography remains the gold standard for regular breast cancer screening, its use of harmful radiation, painful breast compression, and radiologist dependent evaluation remain as detracting factors for its use. Over the past 40 years, researchers have been exploring the use of microwave technology in place of X-ray mammography. Microwave radiation, used at power levels similar to that of a cellphone, has been demonstrated successfully in simulations of breast scans. However, in experimental evaluations with breast phantoms, the complex scattering path of the radiation through tissue complicates image reconstruction. In this thesis, methods of improving the accuracy of microwave algorithms are explored, alongside new breast phantom structures that replicate well the electrical properties of tissue. The results of this work demonstrate the flexibility of microwave imaging, and the adversities that still need to be overcome for it to begin seeing clinical use.

No description available.

Floods are the most frequent disaster in the world and flood exposure is increasing globally. Flood mapping of past events can be a useful aid in not only disaster risk management, but also in evaluating and validating global flood models (GFMs) which are being used to assess and predict these floods. There are however numerous ways of mapping floods, and it is uncertain how well these perform as validation data. In this paper, a change detection approach based on a combination of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and cloud-computing to map past flood events is evaluated (hereinafter CD- SAR). Eight flood events were chosen over a wide range of hydroclimatic conditions, regions, and flood types. These eight events were mapped with CD-SAR and compared to four GFM outputs and two flood maps of past events from two commonly used databases. The spatial agreement between CD-SAR and the GFMs showed a considerable variation between regions and models. The agreement was however shown to share a similar interval to previous validation studies, albeit in the lower portion. CD-SAR also showed similar performance to the comparison between the GFMs and the outputs from the databases of mapped past flood events. The results were also analysed for how the flood extent and flood-edge distribution of CD-SAR compare to both the GFMs and the database outputs. The results showed a similar variation in distribution as the spatial agreement but did not follow the same trend for all regions. The flexibility and high resolution of CD-SAR allow it to cover events over a wider range of regions and of any size and it can be a viable tool to map past flood events and could be used to evaluate GFMs. However, CD-SAR needs further evaluation as uncertainties still exist due to the inherent characteristics of SAR and the revisit times of the satellites using SAR. / Översvämningsrelaterade katastrofer är de mest förekommande i världen och exponeringen för översvämningar ökar globalt. Kartläggningar av tidigare översvämningshändelser kan vara ett användbart verktyg för katastrofriskhantering samt för att utvärdera och validera globala översvämningsmodeller som används för att uppskatta och förutse översvämningar. Det finns ett flertal sätt att kartlägga översvämningar men det är osäkert hur bra de fungerar som valideringsdata. Denna studie utvärderar en metod för att kartlägga översvämningar genom förändringsdetektering i syntetiska aperturradarbilder (SAR) med hjälp av molntjänster (härefter CD-SAR). Åtta översvämningshändelser valdes över en rad hydroklimatiska förhållanden, regioner och översvämningstyper. De här översvämningshändelserna kartlades med hjälp av CD-SAR och jämfördes med fyra globala översvämningsmodeller och två översvämningskartor från två väl använda databaser. CD-SAR och de fyra globala översvämningsmodellerna visade betydliga skillnader i överenstämmelse mellan både regioner och modeller. Överenstämmelsen var dock inom samma intervall som påvisats i tidigare studier om än något lägre. CD-SAR visade sig också ha en liknande överensstämmelse som jämförelsen mellan modellerna och databaserna. En analys av CD- SAR jämfört med modellerna och databaserna genomfördes över utbredningen av översvämningarna och dess fördelningar. Resultaten visade en liknande variation som överenstämmelsen men följde inte samma trender för alla regioner. CD-SAR:s flexibilitet och dess höga upplösning gör att den kan omfatta ett stort antal översvämningshändelser över en rad olika regioner. Det gör det möjligt för CD- SAR att genomföra översvämningskartläggningar och för att utvärdera globala översvämningsmodeller. CD-SAR behöver dock utvärderas ytterligare då metoden fortfarande innehar vissa osäkerheter. Osäkerheterna är till mestadels på grund av de inneboende egenskaperna hos SAR samt täckningen för satelliterna som använder SAR.

<p>Basic radar systems use electromagnetic wave reflections from targets to determine the motion characteristics of these targets. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) systems use the reflections to produce target images as well. SAR is an imaging radar system that produces high resolution images of a scene or target by using radar motion to synthesize the antenna aperture. A SAR model to handle extended targets and point targets in faster time is presented, as are some simulated results. This thesis explains synthetic aperture concepts, the model used and a simulation of a SAR system. It runs through modelling point targets as well as extended targets by using the resolution cells of the radar, creating the raw signal data from the target information and then the signal processing that converts the raw data to a SAR image. The simulation was done for better understanding of synthetic aperture parameters and it was done in C++ programming language for improved processing speed. In comparison to previous simulations obtained from literature review, there is an increase in speed of more than 2.5 times as the number of targets increases, producing higher resolution images in less time. A model to handle extended targets was presented while also showing the imperfections due to the model assumptions. These assumptions are then explained as the best option in the absence of extra geographic information on the target scene.</p> / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

近年全球暖化現象日益嚴重，格陵蘭等極區融冰所造成之海平面上升將對全球人類帶來嚴重威脅。因冰層質量之改變與冰河移動速度高度相關，故可藉由監測格陵蘭冰層（Greenland Ice Sheet，GrIS）上冰河之移動推估全球暖化對其造成之影響。衛星影像因具有連續且快速獲得大範圍地表資訊之能力，且可結合各影像處理技術獲得地表變形量，故已廣泛應用於廣域冰河之監測。然不同影像與技術均有其優勢與限制，故本研究將使用合成孔徑雷達（Synthetic Aperture Radar，SAR）與光學影像，並結合合成孔徑雷達差分干涉（Differential Interferometric SAR，D-InSAR）、多重合成孔徑雷達干涉（Multi-aperture Interferometric SAR，MAI）與偏移偵測法（Pixel-offset，PO）技術獲得冰河表面於不同方向之位移向量，再整合各向量透過三維變動量解構法（3D decomposition）求解表面於三維方向之變形量。據此執行數值冰層動力模型（Numerical Ice Sheet Model，ISM），並結合模擬之冰底基岩渠道網絡、數化之冰面冰隙與冰面湖及氣象觀測資料後，參佐冰河變動理論，進一步了解格陵蘭Russell冰河之變動行為與機制。 / Global warming has been a worldwide issue and significantly increasing icecap melting rate over polar area. Consequently the sea level rises continuously and poses a fundamental threat to whole human beings. Since the mass loss of Greenland ice sheet （GrIS） is highly correlated to the velocity of glacier movement, this study aims to monitor the impact of global warming by tracking glacier terminus displacement over GrIS using remote sensing techniques. As there are multiple spaceborne images of various characteristics and also multiple techniques with different functions, we proposed a monitoring strategy using Synthetic Aperture Radar （SAR） and optical images, with Differential Interferometric SAR （D-InSAR）, Multi-aperture Interferometric SAR （MAI） and Pixel-offset （PO） techniques to estimate glacier movement vectors. The vectors were then merged using 3D decomposition method to derive 3D deformation. Based on the resultant 3D deformation, the Numerical Ice Sheet Model （ISM） is conducted and then integrates with modeled subglacial drainage channel network and glaciological theories, the melting dynamics and mechanism of Russell glacier can be further understood.

Recent development in electronics for mobile devices has led to the decrease in sizes and cost of autonomous complex embedded systems such as satellites. It is now possible to build a satellite quicker and only for a fraction of previous costs by using Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) components. Yet, there are some obstacles that need to be overcome before a successful small satellite can be designed. Among these are the radiation environment, thermal issues, the overall system complexity and tight schedules. This thesis addresses these issues and proposes an overall approach for designing small satellites’ electronics. This approach can be summarised in 6 recommendations: Keep it simple Use fast hardware iterations Do not use space grade components Use a single string design on the system level (no redundancy) Design with limited trust in the software Use simple, accessible and easy updatable documentation With respect to those recommendations an on board data processing system, the Processing Board, has been designed for the ICEYE-1 satellite. The ICEYE-1 satellite is a fully commercial Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite that will be launched in December 2017. The designed board has been manufactured and verified during airborne test campaigns. / Nya elektronikutvecklingar för mobiltelefoner har lett till en minskning av storlek och kostnader för andra autonoma komplexa inbyggda system som t.ex. satelliter. Så kallade småsatelliter kan numera byggas snabbare och för endast en bråkdel av tidigare kostnader med hjälp av Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) komponenter. Det finns dock vissa hinder som måste övervinnas om man vill designa en pålitligt fungerande småsatellit. Till dessa kan räknas strålningsmiljön, väl fungerande värmeledning, det totala systemets komplexitet samt snäva tidtabeller. Detta examensarbete behandlar dessa frågor och föreslår en övergripande strategi för att designa elektronik för småsatelliter. Detta tillvägagångssätt kan sammanfattas i 6 rekommendationer: Håll det enkelt Implementera snabba hårdvaruiterationer Använd inte rymdklassade komponenter Använd ingen redundans på systemnivå Designa med en begränsad tilltro på mjukvaran Dokumentera på ett enkelt, tillgängligt och lätt uppdateringsbart sätt Dessa rekommendationer har använts till att utveckla ett databehandlingssystem, kallat "Processing Board", till småsatelliten ICEYE-1. ICEYE-1 är en kommersiell Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellit som kommer att skjutas i omloppsbana i december 2017. Databehandlingssystemet i fråga har utvecklats och verifierats i samband med flygplansburna testkampanjer.

Les radars à synthèse d’ouverture (RSO) polarimétriques sont devenus incontournables dans le domaine de la télédétection, grâce à leur zone de couverture étendue, ainsi que leur capacité à acquérir des données dans n’importe quelles conditions atmosphériques de jour comme de nuit. Au cours des trois dernières décennies, plusieurs RSO polarimétriques ont été utilisés portant une variété de modes d’imagerie, tels que la polarisation unique, la polarisation double et également des modes dits pleinement polarimétriques. Grâce aux recherches récentes, d’autres modes alternatifs, tels que la polarisation hybride et compacte, ont été proposés pour les futures missions RSOs. Toutefois, un débat anime la communauté de la télédétection quant à l’utilité des modes alternatifs et quant au compromis entre la polarimétrie double et la polarimétrie totale. Cette thèse contribue à ce débat en analysant et comparant ces différents modes d’imagerie RSO dans une variété d’applications, avec un accent particulier sur la surveillance maritime (la détection des navires et de marées noires). Pour nos comparaisons, nous considérons un paramètre fondamental, appelé le degré de polarisation (DoP). Ce paramètre scalaire a été reconnu comme l’un des paramètres les plus pertinents pour caractériser les ondes électromagnétiques partiellement polarisées. A l’aide d’une analyse statistique détaillée sur les images polarimétriques RSO, nous proposons des estimateurs efficaces du DoP pour les systèmes d’imagerie cohérente et incohérente. Ainsi, nous étendons la notion de DoP aux différents modes d’imagerie polarimétrique hybride et compacte. Cette étude comparative réalisée dans différents contextes d’application dégage des propriétés permettant de guider le choix parmi les différents modes polarimétriques. Les expériences sont effectuées sur les données polarimétriques provenant du satellite Canadian RADARSAT-2 et le RSO aéroporté Américain AirSAR, couvrant divers types de terrains tels que l’urbain, la végétation et l’océan. Par ailleurs nous réalisons une étude détaillée sur les potentiels du DoP pour la détection et la reconnaissance des marées noires basée sur les acquisitions récentes d’UAVSAR, couvrant la catastrophe de Deepwater Horizon dans le golfe du Mexique. / Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) systems have become highly fruitful thanks to their wide area coverage and day and night all-weather capabilities. Several polarimetric SARs have been flown over the last few decades with a variety of polarimetric SAR imaging modes; traditional ones are linear singleand dual-pol modes. More sophisticated ones are full-pol modes. Other alternative modes, such as hybrid and compact dual-pol, have also been recently proposed for future SAR missions. The discussion is vivid across the remote sensing society about both the utility of such alternative modes, and also the trade-off between dual and full polarimetry. This thesis contributes to that discussion by analyzing and comparing different polarimetric SAR modes in a variety of geoscience applications, with a particular focus on maritime monitoring and surveillance. For our comparisons, we make use of a fundamental, physically related discriminator called the Degree of Polarization (DoP). This scalar parameter has been recognized as one of the most important parameters characterizing a partially polarized electromagnetic wave. Based on a detailed statistical analysis of polarimetric SAR images, we propose efficient estimators of the DoP for both coherent and in-coherent SAR systems. We extend the DoP concept to different hybrid and compact SAR modes and compare the achieved performance with different full-pol methods. We perform a detailed study of vessel detection and oil-spill recognition, based on linear and hybrid/compact dual-pol DoP, using recent data from the Deepwater Horizon oil-spill, acquired by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR). Extensive experiments are also performed over various terrain types, such as urban, vegetation, and ocean, using the data acquired by the Canadian RADARSAT-2 and the NASA/JPL Airborne SAR (AirSAR) system.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento CientÃfico e TecnolÃgico / A cobertura regular de quase todo o planeta por sistemas de radar de abertura sintÃtica (synthetic aperture radar - SAR) orbitais e o uso de sistemas aerotransportados tÃm propiciado novos meios para obter informaÃÃes atravÃs do sensoriamento remoto de vÃrias regiÃes de nosso planeta, muitas delas inacessÃveis. Este trabalho trata do processamento de imagens digitais geradas por radar de abertura sintÃtica, especificamente da segmentaÃÃo, que consiste do isolamento ou particionamento dos objetos relevantes presentes em uma cena. A segmentaÃÃo de imagens digitais visa melhorar a interpretaÃÃo das mesmas em procedimentos subseqÃentes. As imagens SAR sÃo corrompidas por ruÃdo coerente, conhecido por speckle, que mascara pequenos detalhes e zonas de transiÃÃo entre os objetos. Tal ruÃdo à inerente ao processo de formaÃÃo dessas imagens e dificulta tarefas como a segmentaÃÃo automÃtica dos objetos existentes e a identificaÃÃo de seus contornos. Uma possibilidade para efetivar a segmentaÃÃo de imagens SAR consiste na filtragem preliminar do ruÃdo speckle, como etapa de tratamento dos dados. A outra possibilidade, aplicada neste trabalho, consiste em segmentar diretamente a imagem ruidosa, usando seus pixels originais como fonte de informaÃÃo. Para isso, à desenvolvida uma metodologia de segmentaÃÃo baseada em crescimento e fusÃo estatÃstica de regiÃes, que requer alguns parÃmetros para controlar o processo. As vantagens da utilizaÃÃo dos dados originais para realizar a segmentaÃÃo de imagens de radar sÃo a eliminaÃÃo de etapas de prÃ-processamento e o favorecimento da detecÃÃo das estruturas presentes nas mesmas. à realizada uma avaliaÃÃo qualitativa e quantitativa das imagens segmentadas, sob diferentes situaÃÃes, aplicando a tÃcnica proposta em imagens de teste contaminadas artificialmente com ruÃdo multiplicativo. Este segmentador à aplicado tambÃm no processamento de imagens SAR reais e os resultados sÃo promissores. / The regular coverage of the planet surface by spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR)and also airborne systems have provided alternative means to gather remote sensing information of various regions of the planet, even of inaccessible areas. This work deals with the digital processing of synthetic aperture radar imagery, where segmentation is the main subject. It consists of isolating or partitioning relevant objects in a scene, aiming at improving image interpretation and understanding in subsequent tasks. SAR images are contaminated by coherent noise, known as speckle, which masks small details and transition zones among the objects. Such a noise is inherent in radar image generation process, making difficult tasks like automatic segmentation of the objects, as well as their contour identification. To segment radar images, one possible way is to apply speckle filtering before segmentation. Another one, applied in this work, is to perform noisy image segmentation using the original SAR pixels as input data, without any preprocessing,such as filtering. To provide segmentation, an algorithm based on region growing and statistical region merging has been developed, which requires some parameters to control the process. This task presents some advantages, as long as it eliminates preprocessing steps and favors the detection of the image structures, since original pixel information is exploited. A qualitative and quantitative performance evaluation of the segmented images is also executed, under different situations, by applying the proposed technique to simulated images corrupted with multiplicative noise. This segmentation method is also applied to real SAR images and the produced results are promising.

This study analyzes the available radar evidence in order to describe the morphology of channel networks around the north polar seas of Titan. Critical flow depths necessary to entrain water-ice grains, and denudation rates for a north polar channel network are discussed. The results indicate that channel networks on Titan have similar morphologies to channel networks cut by water on Earth. We also find that water-ice sediment should be readily entrained in the headwaters and downstream sections of the analyzed Titanian basin, given sufficient flow depths of liquid hydrocarbons. Also, the importance of slope and the elevated topography of the highlands surrounding the polar lakes are considered, as well as potential formation theories for the elevated highlands and low-lying maria that dominate the north polar region.

Submitted by Geyciane Santos (geyciane_thamires@hotmail.com) on 2015-07-27T15:15:30Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação - Jorge Alberto Lopes da Costa.pdf: 12254367 bytes, checksum: e92aa3fbce27b2b569e2f3aae45e851d (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Divisão de Documentação/BC Biblioteca Central (ddbc@ufam.edu.br) on 2015-07-28T15:14:18Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação - Jorge Alberto Lopes da Costa.pdf: 12254367 bytes, checksum: e92aa3fbce27b2b569e2f3aae45e851d (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Divisão de Documentação/BC Biblioteca Central (ddbc@ufam.edu.br) on 2015-07-28T15:19:49Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação - Jorge Alberto Lopes da Costa.pdf: 12254367 bytes, checksum: e92aa3fbce27b2b569e2f3aae45e851d (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-07-28T15:19:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação - Jorge Alberto Lopes da Costa.pdf: 12254367 bytes, checksum: e92aa3fbce27b2b569e2f3aae45e851d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-07-07 / Não informada / In recent decades the areas of rainforest in the Amazon region has been heavily impacted by a rapid process of conversion of vegetation cover in other types of use due to human action. In the context of global change, the use of mapping and monitoring land cover and provide information for the analysis and evaluation of environmental impacts due to accelerated changes in the landscape. Therefore, this study evaluated the potential of data from synthetic aperture radar for discriminating use and land cover in the region of Manaus, Amazonas state. We used a multipolarized image from sensor airborne SAR-R99B (L band), with 3 m spatial resolution. Were evaluated the MAXVER-ICM and SVM (Support Vector Machine) classifiers, where in all cases we used the images individually multipolarized amplitude (HH, HV and VV), in pairs (HH and HV), (HV and VV) and (HH and VV) and together (HH, HV and VV). The results were compared using as parameter the Kappa coefficient. The SVM classifier had higher accuracy compared to MAXVER-ICM classifier. The best classifications were obtained for the dual polarization (HH and VV) with MARVER-ICM classifier and (HH, HV and VV) with the SVM classifier both using the images with the filter. The accuracy was highest with SVM for classification and filter images (kappa = 0.7736). Were analyzed the influence of using GAMMA filter performance on the classifiers where it showed that filtered images have provided an increase in the results, on average, about 8%. Thus there was the analysis of the classification results, which found that the best result was provided by the dataset multipolarized (HH, HV and VV) classified by the SVM method. Thus, we concluded that the use of radar imagery in mapping thematic classes use and land cover in tropical regions, can be considered as a viable proposal. / Nas últimas décadas as áreas de floresta tropical na região Amazônica têm sido fortemente impactada por um rápido processo de conversão da cobertura vegetal em outros tipos de uso devido à ação antrópica. No contexto das mudanças globais, os mapeamentos e monitoramentos de uso e cobertura da terra fornecem subsídios para as análises e avaliações dos impactos ambientas em virtude de acelerados processos de mudança na paisagem. Neste contexto, este estudo avaliou o potencial dos dados de radar de abertura sintética para discriminação de uso e cobertura da terra na região de Manaus, estado do Amazonas. Foi utilizada uma imagem multipolarizada do sensor aerotransportado SAR-R99B (banda L), com 3 metros de resolução espacial. Realizaram-se classificações na imagem radar sem filtro e com filtro Gamma 3x3. Avaliou-se o classificador pontual MAXVER-ICM e o SVM (Support Vector Machine), onde em todos os casos utilizou-se das imagens multipolarizadas em amplitude individualmente (HH, HV e VV), aos pares (HH e HV), (HV e VV) e (HH e VV) e em conjunto (HH, HV e VV). Os resultados obtidos foram comparados utilizando-se como parâmetro o coeficiente de concordância Kappa. O classificador SVM apresentou acurácia superior em relação ao classificador MAXVER-ICM. As melhores classificações foram obtidas para a polarização dual HH e VV com o classificador MAXVER-ICM e (HH, HV e VV) com o classificador SVM ambos utilizando as imagens com filtro. A acurácia mais elevada foi para a classificação com SVM e imagens com filtro (kappa = 0,7736). Analisou-se a influência do uso de filtro GAMMA no desempenho dos classificadores onde se contatou que as imagens filtradas proporcionaram um incremento nos resultados, em média, na ordem de 8%. Deste modo realizou-se a análise dos resultados das classificações, onde se constatou que o melhor resultado foi proporcionado pelo conjunto de dados multipolarizados (HH, HV e VV)classificados através do método SVM. Assim, concluiu-se que o uso de imagens de radar no mapeamento de classes temáticas de uso e cobertura da terra, em regiões tropicais, pode ser considerado como uma proposta viável.