京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(理学) / 甲第19168号 / 理博第4108号 / 新制||理||1591(附属図書館) / 32160 / 京都大学大学院理学研究科地球惑星科学専攻 / (主査)准教授 重 尚一, 准教授 林 泰一, 教授 余田 成男 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Science / Kyoto University / DGAM

More efficient and reliable High-Throughput Field Phenotyping (HTFP) approaches are essential for the development of plant breeding and carbon storage studies, as well as the improvement of yield estimation in the food production sector. The use of ground-based platforms in combination with other data sources such as UAVs and satellites addresses constraints related to payload capacity restrictions and reduced below-canopy data collection. This study describes an early approach to the deployment of agile robots for HTFP that aims to estimate height, diameter at breast height (DBH), and volume for forty-three unique trees corresponding to two different species (E. variegata and F. altissima) occupying an urban-park. The data acquisition system consists of an agile robot from Boston Dynamics and a navigation enhancer LiDAR module from the same company. In order to obtain a point cloud using this system, it is necessary to overcome two challenges: a reduced vertical FoV of the LiDAR and limited management of the LiDAR module. A multiway registration approach is implemented to reconstruct a low-density digital twin of the experiment site, which is later georeferenced using points surveyed with a GNSS system. Subsequently, the point cloud is manually segmented using CloudCompare software to obtain individual tree point clouds. Three different algorithms are implemented to obtain height, DBH, and tree volume estimates from the individual point clouds. The results are statistically analyzed by species in order to characterize sources of error. The height estimation method had a Median Percentage Error (MPE) of 1.4% for E. variegata and 1.2% for F. altissima. The DBH estimation had an MPE of 20.1% for E. variegata and 13% for F. altissima. The volume estimation model returned an R2 of 0.86 for E. variegata and 0.98 for F. altissima. Finally, all three feature estimations are mapped into a GEOJson file. These findings, combined with the numerous advantages of using agile robots as mobile platforms in HTFP, enable more efficient and reliable estimation of important parameters such as aboveground biomass and carbon storage sequestration, as well as delivery the potential for improvements in crop monitoring and yield estimation.

This Thesis covers work conducted to understand the mechanisms underpinning the operation of the electrothermal-chemical gun. The initial formation of plasma from electrically exploding wires, through to the development of plasma venting from the capillary and interacting with a densely packed energetic propellant bed is included. The prime purpose of the work has been the development and validation of computer codes designed for the predictive modelling of the elect rothe rmal-ch em ical (ETC) gun. Two main discussions in this Thesis are: a proposed electrically insulating vapour barrier located around condensed exploding conductors and the deposition of metallic vapour resulting in a high energy flux to the surface of propellant, leading to propellant ignition. The vapour barrier hypothesis is important in a number of fields where the passage of current through condensed material or through plasma is significant. The importance may arise from the need to disrupt the fragments by applying strong magnetic fields (as in the disruption of metallic shaped charge jets); in the requirement to generate a metallic vapour efficiently from electrically exploding wires (as per ETC ignition systems); or in the necessity to re-use the condensed material after a discharge (as with lightning divertor strips). The ignition by metallic vapour deposition hypothesis relies on the transfer of latent heat during condensation. It is important for the efficient transfer of energy from an exploded wire (or other such metallic vapour generating device) to the surface of energetic material. This flux is obtained far more efficiently through condensation than from radiative energy transfer, because the energy required to evaporate copper is far less than that required to heat it to temperatures at which significant radiative flux would be emitted

This Thesis covers work conducted to understand the mechanisms underpinning the operation of the electrothermal-chemical gun. The initial formation of plasma from electrically exploding wires, through to the development of plasma venting from the capillary and interacting with a densely packed energetic propellant bed is included. The prime purpose of the work has been the development and validation of computer codes designed for the predictive modelling of the elect rothe rmal-ch em ical (ETC) gun. Two main discussions in this Thesis are: a proposed electrically insulating vapour barrier located around condensed exploding conductors and the deposition of metallic vapour resulting in a high energy flux to the surface of propellant, leading to propellant ignition. The vapour barrier hypothesis is important in a number of fields where the passage of current through condensed material or through plasma is significant. The importance may arise from the need to disrupt the fragments by applying strong magnetic fields (as in the disruption of metallic shaped charge jets); in the requirement to generate a metallic vapour efficiently from electrically exploding wires (as per ETC ignition systems); or in the necessity to re-use the condensed material after a discharge (as with lightning divertor strips). The ignition by metallic vapour deposition hypothesis relies on the transfer of latent heat during condensation. It is important for the efficient transfer of energy from an exploded wire (or other such metallic vapour generating device) to the surface of energetic material. This flux is obtained far more efficiently through condensation than from radiative energy transfer, because the energy required to evaporate copper is far less than that required to heat it to temperatures at which significant radiative flux would be emitted

The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) currently requires a system of systems simulation capability for supporting the different phases of a Ground Based Air Defence System (GBADS) acquisition program. A non-distributed, fast-as-possible simulator and its architectural predecessors developed by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) was able to provide the required capability during the concept and definition phases of the acquisition life cycle. The non-distributed simulator implements a 100Hz logical time Discrete Time System Specification (DTSS) in support of the existing models. However, real-time simulation execution has become a prioritised requirement to support the development phase of the acquisition life cycle. This dissertation is about the ongoing migration of the non-distributed simulator to a practical simulation architecture that supports the real-time requirement. The simulator simulates a synthetic environment inhabited by interacting GBAD systems and hostile airborne targets. The non-distributed simulator was parallelised across multiple Commod- ity Off the Shelf (COTS) PC nodes connected by a commercial Gigabit Eth- ernet infrastructure. Since model reuse was important for cost effectiveness, it was decided to reuse all the existing models, by retaining their 100Hz logical time DTSSs. The large scale and event-based High Level Architecture (HLA), an IEEE standard for large-scale distributed simulation interoperability, had been identified as the most suitable distribution and parallelisation technology. However, two categories of risks in directly migrating to the HLA were iden- tified. The choice was made, with motivations, to mitigate the identified risks by developing a specialised custom distributed architecture. In this dissertation, the custom discrete time, distributed, peer-to-peer, message-passing architecture that has been built by the author in support of the parallelised simulator requirements, is described and analysed. It reports on empirical studies in regard to performance and flexibility. The architecture is shown to be a suitable and cost effective distributed simulator architecture for supporting a speed-up of three to four times through parallelisation of the 100 Hz logical time DTSS. This distributed architecture is currently in use and working as expected, but results in a parallelisation speed-up ceiling irrespective of the number of distributed processors. In addition, a hybrid discrete-time/discrete-event modelling approach and simulator is proposed that lowers the distributed communication and time synchronisation overhead—to improve on the scalability of the discrete time simulator—while still economically reusing the existing models. The pro- posed hybrid architecture was implemented and its real-time performance analysed. The hybrid architecture is found to support a parallelisation speed- up that is not bounded, but linearly related to the number of distributed pro- cessors up to at least the 11 processing nodes available for experimentation. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Computer Science / unrestricted

No description available.

This thesis presents the development of a high-resolution ground-based 3D-SAR system and investigates its application to microwave-vegetation studies. The development process of the system is detailed including an enumeration of high-level requirements, discussions on key design issues, and detailed descriptions of the system down to a component level. The system operates on a 5.4 GHz (C-band) signal, provides a synthetic aperture area of 1.7 m x 1.7 m, and offers resolution of 0.75 m x 0.3 m x 0.3 m (range x azimuth x elevation). The system is employed on several trees with varying physical characteristics. The resulting imagery demonstrates successful 3D reconstruction of the trees and some of their internal features. The individual leaves and small branches are not visible due to the system resolution and the size of the wavelength. The foliage's outline and internal density distribution is resolved. Large branches are visible where geometry is favorable. Trunks are always visible due to their size and normal-facing incidence surface and their return has the strongest contribution from their base. The imagery is analyzed for dependencies on radar and tree parameters including: incidence angle, signal frequency, polarization, inclusion size, water content, and species. In the current work, a single frequency (5.4 GHz) and polarization (HH) is used which leaves the door open for future analysis to use other frequencies and polarizations. The improved resolution capabilities of the 3D-SAR system enables more precise backscatter measurements leading to a greater understanding of microwave-vegetation scattering behavior.

Within the framework of the present work, an aerosol typing methodology applicable to both ground-based and spaceborne lidar systems has been developed. The novel aerosol typing scheme was developed based on the optimal estimation method (OEM) and allows the identification of up to four different aerosol components present in an aerosol mixture as well as the quantification of their contribution to the aerosol mixture in terms of relative volume. The four aerosol components considered in this typing scheme represent the most commonly observed aerosol particles in nature and are assumed to be physically separated from each other and, therefore, can create external mixtures. Two components represent fine-mode particles, absorbing (FSA) and less absorbing (FSNA), and the remaining two aerosol components represent coarse-mode particles, spherical (CS) and non-spherical (CNS). These components can adequately represent the most frequently observed aerosol types in the atmosphere: combustion- and pollution-related aerosol, sea salt and desert dust, respectively. The lidar-derived optical parameters used in this typing scheme are the lidar ratio and the particle linear depolarization ratio at two distinctive wavelengths (355 and 532 nm), the backscatter-related color ratio (for the wavelength pair of 532/1064 nm) and the extinction-related Ångström exponent (for the wavelength pair of 355/532 nm). These intensive optical properties can be combined in different ways making the methodology flexible, allowing thus its application to lidar systems with different configurations (e.g., single wavelength or multiwavelength). The functionality of the typing scheme was demonstrated by its application to case studies of known aerosol conditions as well as to cases of non-characterized aerosol load. The algorithm was also applied to a long-term dataset to provide a seasonal characterization of the aerosol situation over Haifa, Israel. It was shown that the OEM is an effective methodology that can be also applied for aerosol typing purposes, and that it can be used to support the ground-based validation efforts of EarthCARE's products and algorithms.

Ph.D., Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, 2011 / Deep-level gold mining in the Witwatersrand Basin Goldfields (WBG) of central South Africa is characterised by the production of extensive unlined tailings storage facilities (TSFs) comprising large quantities of pulverised rock and water contaminated with salts and a wide range of other inorganic pollutants (Weiersbye et al., 2006). There are more than 200 such TSFs covering a total area of more than 400 km2 (Rosner et al., 2001), and significant contaminated “footprint” areas occur after removal and reprocessing of the original TSFs (Chevrel et al., 2003). It is estimated that the Witwatersrand Basin contains six billion tons of gold and uranium tailings (Chevrel et al., 2003), 430 000 tons of uranium (Council of Geoscience, 1998; Winde, 2004a; b; c) and approximately 30 million tons of sulphur (Witkowski and Weiersbye, 1998a). An estimated 105 million tons of waste per annum is generated by the gold mining industry within the WBG (Department of Tourism, Economic and Environmental Affairs, 2002; Chamber of Mines of South Africa, 2004). A major environmental problem resulting from deep level mining in the WBG is the contaminated water that seeps from TSFs into adjacent lands and groundwater. Van As (1992) reported on the significant environmental hazards resulting from the storage of highly pulverised pyrite rock waste in TSFs (Straker et al., 2007). Adjacent lands become polluted through near-surface seepage, and this is enhanced by the movement of polluted groundwater in shallow aquifers that are commonly 1-30 m below ground (Funke, 1990; Hodgson et al., 2001; Rosner et al., 2001; Naicker et al., 2003). The impact of the mines and the TSFs extends far beyond their localities (Cogho et al., 1990). The Vaal River catchment receives a large proportion of the pollutants from WBG mining activities, with consequent acidification and salinisation of surface and ground waters. Salt discharges to the Vaal River were estimated to be 170 000 t/annum (Best, 1985), whereas discharges from the Free State gold mines south of the Vaal catchment were estimated at 350 000 t/annum of salts (Cogho et al., 1990). Concern also exists over the spread of dangerous contaminants such as uranium, chromium and mercury (Coetzee et al., 2006; Winde, 2009). Engineering solutions to these problems are hindered by the large sizes and great extent of TSFs, the high and indefinite costs involved, and the typically low hydraulic conductivity in affected aquifers, which makes the “pump and treat” option impractical. An alternative phytoremediation strategy is to establish belts or blocks of trees in strategic areas surrounding the TSFs in order to reduce the seepage of contaminated water into adjacent lands and groundwater bodies. The major reasons why trees are likely to have a greater impact on seepage water than the existing grasslands that characterise the area around most TSFs in the WBG, are that some tree species have the potential to develop very deep root systems and to continue transpiring water throughout the year. This is in contrast to seasonally dormant grasslands. In addition, some tree species are known to be tolerant to salts and other pollutants. Trees are thus potentially able to reach deep water tables, take up large quantities of water, and remove some of the pollutants in this water. It is crucial for a successful implementation of this strategy to know on what sites trees are able to access mine seepage water, and consequently maintain a high year-round rate of water use. If this access is limited, then growth and water use will be curtailed during the long winter dry season, and control of seepage will be considerably below potential. A primary aim of this study was to develop methodologies to discriminate between water-stressed and non-water-stressed trees currently growing in three gold mining districts (Welkom, Vaal River, West Wits) within the WBG. This information was required to assess what site types are likely to support adequate tree growth and permit high rates of water use and seepage control. The tree species selected were those most widely occurring in these areas, and include the non-native species Eucalyptus sideroxylon A. Cunningham ex Woolls and Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnhardt, as well as the indigenous species Searsia lancea L.f. Various remote sensing technologies including leaf-level spectroscopy, satellite and airborne remote sensing images were evaluated for their usefulness in detecting levels of winter-time water stress. Four commonly used ground-truthing techniques (predawn leaf water potential, leaf chlorophyll fluorescence, leaf chlorophyll and carotenoid pigment content, and leaf water content) were used for localised measurements of plant water stress and for ground-truthing of remotely sensed data on 75 sample sites and 15 sample sites. This study provided a unique opportunity to test and compare the use of stress reflectance models derived from different remote sensing data acquired at different spatial and spectral resolutions (i.e. multispectral and hyperspectral) for the same geographical location. The use of remote sensing to examine the spectral responses of vegetation to plant stress has been widely described in the scientific literature. A collation of published spectral reflectance indices provided the basis for investigating the use of hand-held remote sensing technology to detect plant water stress, and was used as a stepping stone to further develop spectral plant water stress relationships for specific tree species in this study. Seventy seven spectral reflectance indices and specific individual spectral wavelengths useful for detecting plant water stress, plant pigment content, the presence of stress related pigments in vegetation, and changes in leaf cellular structure, were investigated using hand-held spectroscopy. Ground-based measurements of plant water stress were taken on 75 sample trees. In this study, the measurement of predawn leaf water potential has been identified as a key methodology for linking remotely sensed assessments of plant water stress to actual plant water stress; a reading of -0.8 MPa was used to separate stressed trees from unstressed trees in the landscape (Cleary and Zaerr, 1984). The results of the predawn leaf water potential measurements ranged from -0.56 to -0.68 MPa at unstressed sites, and from -0.93 to -1.78 MPa at stressed sites. A novel approach of using spectral reflectance indices derived from previous studies was used to identify specific indices which are applicable to South Africa and to the three species investigated in the WGB. Maximal multiple linear regression models were derived for all possible combinations of plant water stress measurements and the 77 spectral reflectance indices extracted from leaf-level spectral reflectance data, and included the interactions of district and species. The results of the multiple linear regression models indicated that the (695/690) index, DATT index (850-710)/(850-680), near infra-red index (710/760) and the water band (900/970) index performed well and accounted for more than 50% of the variance in the data. The stepwise regression model derived between chlorophyll b content and the DATT index was selected as the “best” model, having the highest adjusted R2 of 69.3%. This was shown to be the most robust model in this application, which could be used at different locations for different species to predict chlorophyll content at the leaf-level. Satellite earth observation data were acquired from two data sources for this investigation; the Hyperion hyperspectral sensor (United States Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation Systems) and the Proba Chris pseudo-hyperspectral sensor (European Space Agency). The Hyperion sensor was selected to obtain high spatial and spectral resolution data, whereas the Proba Chris sensor provided high spatial and medium spectral resolution earth observation data. Twelve vegetation indices designed to capture changes in canopy water status, plant pigment content and changes in plant cellular structure, were selected and derived from the satellite remote sensing imagery. Ground-based measurements of plant water stress undertaken during late July 2004 were used for ground-truthing the Hyperion image, while measurements undertaken during July 2005 and August 2005 were used for ground-truthing the Proba Chris images. Predawn leaf water potential measurements undertaken for the three species, ranged from -0.42 to -0.78 MPa at unstressed sites, and -0.95 to -4.66 MPa at stressed sites. Predawn leaf water potentials measured for E. camaldulensis trees sampled in species trials in Vaal River were significantly different between stressed and non stressed trees (t = 3.39, 8df, P = 0.009). In contrast, E. camaldulensis trees sampled near a pan within the Welkom mining district, which had greater access to water but were exposed to higher concentrations of salts and inorganic contaminants, displayed differences in total chlorophyll content (t = -2.20, 8df, P = 0.059), carotenoid content (t = -5.68, 8df, P < 0.001) and predawn leaf water potential (t = 4.25, 8df, P = 0.011) when compared to trees sampled on farmland. E. sideroxylon trees sampled close to a farm dam in the West Wits mining district displayed differences in predawn leaf water potential (t = 69.32, 8df, P < 0.001) and carotenoid content (t = -2.13, 8df, P = 0.066) when compared to stressed trees further upslope away from the water source. Multiple linear regressions revealed that the predawn leaf water potential greenness normalised difference vegetation index model, and the predawn leaf water potential water band index model were the “best” surrogate measures of plant water stress when using broad band multispectral satellite and narrow-band hyperspectral satellite data respectively. It was concluded from these investigations that vegetation indices designed to capture changes in plant water content/plant water status and spectral changes in the red edge region of the spectrum, performed well when applied to high spectral resolution remote sensing data. The greenness normalised difference vegetation index was considered to be a fairly robust index, which was highly correlated to chlorophyll fluorescence and predawn leaf water potential. It is recommended that this index has the potential to be used to map spatial patterns of winter-time plant stress for different genera/species and in different geographical locations. Airborne remote sensing surveys were conducted to investigate the application of high spatial resolution remote sensing data to detect plant water stress. Multispectral airborne imagery was acquired by Land Resource International (PTY) Ltd, South Africa. Ground-based measurements of plant water stress were carried out during July and August 2005.Four individual spectral bands and two vegetation spectral reflectance indices, which are sensitive to changes in plant pigment content, were derived from the processed multispectral images viz. red, green, blue and near-infrared spectral bands and the normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) and greenness normalised difference vegetation index (GNDVI).The results of the multispectral airborne study revealed that carotenoid content together with the green spectral waveband resulted in the “best” surrogate measure of plant water stress when using broad-band multispectral airborne data. Airborne remote sensing surveys were conducted by Bar-Kal Systems Engineering Ltd, Israel, to investigate the application of hyperspectral airborne imagery to detect plant water stress. Six vegetation spectral reflectance indices designed to capture changes in plant pigment and plant water status/content, were derived from the processed hyperspectral images. When using airborne hyperspectral data, predawn leaf water potential with the normalized difference water index was selected as the most appropriate model. It was concluded, upon evaluation of the multiple linear regression models, that the airborne hyperspectral data produced several more regression models with higher adjusted R2 values (Ra2 range 6.2 - 76.2%) when compared to the airborne multispectral data (Ra2 range 6 - 50.1). Exploration of relationships between vegetation indices derived from leaf-level, satellite and airborne spectral reflectance data and ground-based measurements used as “surrogate” measures of plant water stress, revealed that several prominent and recurring spectral reflectance indices could be applied to identify species-specific plant water stress within the Welkom, Vaal River and West Wits mining districts. The models recommended for mapping and detecting spatial patterns of plant water stress when using different sources of remote sensing data are as follows: the chlorophyll b DATT spectral reflectance model when derived from leaf-level spectral reflectance data, can be applied across all three mining districts the predawn leaf water potential GNDVI spectral reflectance model and predawn leaf water potential water band index spectral reflectance model when utilising satellite multispectral and hyperspectral remote sensing data carotenoid content green band spectral reflectance model can be used for airborne multispectral resolution data predawn leaf water potential NDVI spectral reflectance model is best suited for airborne high spatial and hyperspectral resolution data. These results indicate that measurements of predawn leaf water potential and plant pigment content have been identified as key methodologies for ground-truthing of remotely sensed data and can be used as surrogate measures of plant water stress. Some preliminary research was undertaken to evaluate if wood anatomy characteristics could be used as a non-destructive and rapid low-cost survey approach for identifying trees which are experiencing long-term plant stress. Seventy two wood core samples were extracted and analysed. Predawn leaf water potential measurements were used to classify stressed and unstressed trees. Relative differences in radial vessel diameter, vessel frequency and wood density were examined. Comparison of the radial vessel diameter and vessel frequency measurements revealed significant differences in three of the five comparative sampling sites (p <0.05). The results of the density analyses were significantly different for all five comparative sampling sites (p < 0.01). In general, trees experiencing higher plant water stress displayed smaller vessel diameters, compared to less stressed or healthy trees. Sites which were influenced by high levels of contaminated water also displayed smaller vessel diameters, indicating that the uptake of contaminants could affect the wood anatomy of plants. Trees considered to be experiencing higher plant water stress displayed higher vessel frequency. This preliminary study showed that plant stress does influence the wood anatomical characteristics (radial vessel diameter, vessel frequency and wood density) in E. camaldulensis, E. sideroxylon and S. lancea in the three mining districts. Spatial patterns of trees, mapped in the three gold mining districts, Welkom (27º57´S, 26º34´E) in the Free State Province, Vaal River (26º55´S, 26º40´E) located in the North West Province, and West Wits (26º25´S, 27º21´E) located in Gauteng, which were not experiencing winter-time water stress were correlated to site characteristics such as average soil depth, percent clay in the topsoil, groundwater chloride and sulphate concentrations, total dissolved solids, electrical conductivity and groundwater water level. The spectral reflectance model derived between predawn leaf water potential and the green normalised difference vegetation index using broad-band multispectral Proba Chris satellite data was used to map spatial patterns of unstressed trees across the three mining districts. Very high resolution (75 cm) multispectral airborne images acquired by LRI in 2005 were used to demarcate and classify vegetation using the maximum likelihood supervised classification technique. Interpolated surfaces of groundwater chloride and sulphate concentrations, total dissolved solids, electrical conductivity, pH and groundwater table levels were created using the kriging geostatistical interpolation technique for each mining district. Random sample analyses between stressed and unstressed trees were extracted in order to determine whether site characteristics were significantly different (using t-tests). Site characteristic surfaces which were significantly different from stressed areas were spatially linked to trees which were not experiencing winter-time plant water stress for each tree species investigated in each mining district. This spatial correlation was used to make recommendations and prioritise sites for the establishment of future block plantings. Analysis of the site characteristic data and the geophysical surveys undertaken in the three mining districts which provided detailed information on groundwater saturation and an indication of the salinity conditions, confirmed the presence of relatively shallow and saline groundwater sources. This would imply that tree roots could access the relatively shallow groundwater even during the dry winter season and assist in containing contaminated groundwater seeping into surrounding lands. Keywords : airborne imagery, ground-based measurements of plant water stress, hyperspectral, leaf-level spectroscopy, multispectral, satellite imagery, spatial patterns of unstressed trees, spectral reflectance indices

Las técnicas de Interferometría Diferencial se basan en la combinación de varias imágenes SAR con distinta separación temporal y permiten la recuperación de las componentes lineales y no-lineales del proceso de deformación ocurrida en el entorno de interés durante el entero periodo de observación. Condición imprescindible para una correcta estimación de los fenómenos geodéticos es la elevada estabilidad de la plataforma que embarca el sensor SAR. Por esta razón, a nivel operativo se utilizan datos SAR satelitales.El objetivo de la Polarimetría SAR es describir el entorno de interés analizando las propiedades de la señal que éste dispersa cuando se utilizan diferentes combinaciones de polarización de las antenas transmisora y receptora, definidas canales polarimétricos. La polarimetría interferométrica SAR junta la capacidad de la polarimetría de separar mecanismos de dispersión independientes con la sensibilidad de la Interferometría a la altura de los correspondientes centros de fase, y permite describir la distribución volumétrica de los dispersores dentro de la escena observada. Debido a la falta de conjuntos de datos polarimétricos SAR satelitales que cubran tramos temporales suficientemente largos, hay aún un gran interés en las mejoras que la polarimetría podría aportar a técnicas ya consolidadas como las de Interferometría Diferencial.La actividad de investigación que se presentará en esta tesis doctoral abarca, por primera vez conjuntamente, las dos áreas de la Polarimetría SAR y de la Interferometría Diferencial utilizando el sensor radar terrestre de corto alcance (gbSAR) desarrollado por la Universitat Politècnica de Catalunyua (UPC). El trabajo constará de dos bloques principales.El primer bloque describirá las técnicas que se han desarrollado para convertir el sistema UPC gbSAR en un instrumento operativo y simplificar la utilización de sus adquisiciones, incluyendo la formulación matemática de los principios de funcionamiento del sistema, la cadena de procesado de los raw data y su calibración polarimétrica, los procedimientos de georeferenciación, y las técnicas de compensación de los artefactos atmosféricos presentes en sus medidas diferenciales.La segunda parte se ocupará de demostrar los beneficios que los datos SAR polarimétricos ofrecen respecto a la medición de un único canal polarimétrico para aplicaciones diferenciales. A fin de llevar a cabo esta tarea, se analizarán los datos gbSAR adquiridos durante una campaña de medidas de un año realizada en el pueblo de Sallent, en Cataluña, afectado por un fenómeno de subsidencia. En esta parte se analizarán tres temas principales. El primero es el comportamiento no estacionario en tiempo del entorno urbano bajo la geometría de observación del sensor terrestre. Se estudiarán en detalle los efectos de su inestabilidad y se propondrá una técnica de filtrado novedosa entallada a las propiedades de los blancos deterministas con el fin de preservar la información de la fase diferencial. El segundo tema abarca el problema de los efectos de troposfera en datos diferenciales con separación temporal superior al mes y de su separación de las variaciones de fase inducidas por el proceso de deformación. El tercer tema es la utilización de toda la información polarimétrica diferencial. Con fin de superar las limitaciones propias de las técnicas DInSAR clásicas, se propondrá un nuevo modelo polarimétrico de dispersión y se demostrarán las ventajas de la nueva formulación enseñando la mejor estimación del proceso de subsidencia en Sallent. En la parte final de este apartado se explorará también el potencial de las técnicas polarimétricas de optimización de la coherencia para aplicaciones diferenciales. / Differential SAR interferometry (DInSAR) deals with the combination of multi-temporal SAR images for the estimation of the linear and non-linear components of the deformation process within an area of interest during the whole observation period. A high stability of the platform is required for a reliable estimation of the geodetic phenomena. Accordingly, space-borne SAR images are operatively employed for DInSAR estimation, air-borne DInSAR still constituting a challenging research issue. SARPolarimetry aims at charactering the illuminated area through the analysis of its response under different combinations of transmitting and receiving antennas polarization, called polarimetric channels. The Polarimetric SAR Interferometry joins the capability of Polarimetry to separate independent scattering mechanisms and the sensitivity of Interferometry to the corresponding phase centers' elevation, making it possible to describe the volumetric distribution of the scatterers within the observed area. Owing to the lack of long-time collections of polarimetric space-borne SAR data, the studies carried out in this research field have been mainly based on air-borne acquisitions. Yet, there is a great expectation for the improvements that polarimetry may bring to assessed single-polarization techniques such as the DinSAR.The research described in this PhD dissertation fills for the first time the gap between SAR Polarimetry and SAR Differential Interferometry through the employment of an X-band ground-based SAR (gbSAR) sensor developed by the Remote Sensing Lab of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC).The work is divided into two main blocks. The first part deals with the algorithms that have been developed to make the UPC system operative and its acquisitions easy to use. Summarily, they include the mathematical formulation of the sensor's working principles, the raw data processing chain and the polarimetric calibration method, the geocoding procedures, and the techniques compensating for the atmospheric artefacts affecting gbSAR zero-baseline acquisitions.The second part is concerned with demonstrating the benefits that polarimetric SAR measurements provide with respect to single-polarization data for differential applications. In order to cope with this task, the data sets acquired during a one-year measurement campaign carried out in the village of Sallent, northeastern Spain, are analyzed. The experiment was focused on monitoring the subsidence phenomenon affecting a district of the village with the UPC gbSAR sensor. Three main issues are here argued. The first one is the time non-stationary behaviors characterizing the urban environment at X-band in the gbSAR observation geometry. Their effects are analyzed in detail and a novel non-stationary filtering technique tailored to deterministic scatterers' properties is introduced to preserve the differential phase information. The second one is the compensation of the troposphere changes in long-time span gbSAR differential interferograms. A new technique is worked out to effectively separate the differential phase variations due to the atmospheric artefacts from the deformation components. The third one is the use of the whole polarimetric differential information. A novel polarimetric differential scattering model is put forward to relax the constraints of an advanced DInSAR technique, the Coherent Pixel Technique, and to propose an innovative polarimetric approach. The advantages offered by Polarimetric DInSAR are demonstrated in terms of quality of the deformation-rate map describing the subsidence phenomenon in Sallent. In the end, the potentials of coherence-optimization techniques for the further improvement of the deformation process estimation are stressed.