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SAR tab

Available with Image Analyst license.

The SAR tab has tools and functionality to work with Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data. The tab has three groups to visualize, process, and analyze SAR data.

The SAR contextual tab is available when a SAR raster layer is selected in the Contents pane.

Visualization

The Visualization group has tools to display the SAR data within the map.

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Tool name

Description

Rotation Type

Rotation Type

Choose how to rotate the map display.

  • Shadow Down Shadow Down—Rotate the map display so that the shadows are cast toward the bottom of the map. This orientation allows for easier SAR interpretation.

  • North Up North Up—Revert the map view to the default, where the top of the map is north.

Polarization

Polarization

Choose the polarization to display the SAR layer. This list will only contain the valid polarizations available for the specific sensor.

When displaying a single polarization, a brown-orange-yellow color scheme will be used to display the backscatter.

Process

The Process group has tools to calibrate and make adjustments to preprocess SAR data. The tools in this group include the following:

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Tool name

Description

SAR Workflows

SAR Workflows

SAR tools to process your Level-1 SAR data, which create SAR products that can be used in your SAR analysis.

SAR RTC SAR RTC Script—Processes SAR data to a radiometrically terrain corrected SAR product.

Gallery

A gallery of SAR geoprocessing tools that can be used to process your Level-1 SAR data.

Analysis

The Analysis group has tools to analyze SAR data.

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Tool name

Description

SAR Tools

SAR Tools

Analysis tools that analyze SAR data.

Feature Detection Wizard Feature Detection Wizard—Detect features within your SAR scene, such as water bodies, bright ocean objects, and dark ocean areas.

SAR Indices

SAR Indices

  • Radar Vegetation Index (RVI) RVI—The ratio of cross-polarized backscatter to the total backscatter from all polarizations. RVI values near 0 indicate barren landscapes, while larger values indicate vegetated landscapes.

  • Radar Forest Degradation Index (RFDI) —The normalized difference between co- and cross-polarized backscatter. Lower RFDI values (less than 0.3) indicate a denser forest. Moderate RFDI values (between 0.4 and 0.6) correspond to degraded forests. Higher RFDI values (greater than 0.6) indicate deforested landscapes.

  • Canopy Structure Index (CSI) CSI—The normalized difference of co-polarized backscatter. Canopies dominated with vertical structures will have CSI values near -1, while those dominated with horizontal structures will have CSI values near 1.