Dual format algorithm implementation with gotcha data

The Dual Format Algorithm (DFA) is an alternative to the Polar Format Algorithm (PFA) where the image is formed first to an arbitrary grid instead of a Cartesian grid. The arbitrary grid is specifically chosen to allow for more efficient application of defocus and distortion corrections that occur due to range curvature. We provide a description of the arbitrary image grid and show that the quadratic phase errors are isolated along a single dimension of the image. We describe an application of the DFA to circular SAR data and analyze the image focus. For an example SAR dataset, the DFA doubles the focused image size of the PFA algorithm with post imaging corrections.© (2012) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.