Evaluation of high resolution space borne SAR for man-made target characterisation

Due to its all-weather feature SAR is a very suitable sensor for monitoring at regular time intervals and therefore for monitoring changes on the Earth’s surface. Radar satellites with resolutions down to 1 meter, such as TerraSAR- X are becoming operational implying that detailed changes can now be observed. We report about a study in which we characterise changes in high-resolution SAR data such as from TerraSAR-X in combination with other data, e.g. from optical imagery. In this way we can observe changes concerning made-made targets such as the relocation of individual vehicles and changes of individual buildings, that can be related to economical activities, for example.