Multi-Temporal Small Baseline Interferometric SAR Algorithms: Error Budget and Theoretical Performance

Multi-temporal interferometric synthetic aperture radar (MT-InSAR) techniques are well recognized as useful tools for detecting and monitoring Earth's surface temporal changes. In this work, the fundamentals of error noise propagation and perturbation theories are applied to derive the ground displacement products' theoretical error bounds of the small baseline (SB) differential interferometric synthetic aperture radar algorithms. A general formulation of the least-squares (LS) optimization problem, representing the SB methods implementation's core, was adopted in this research study. A particular emphasis was placed on the effects of time-uncorrelated phase unwrapping mistakes and time-inconsistent phase disturbances in sets of SB interferograms, leading to artefacts in the attainable InSAR products. Moreover, this study created the theoretical basis for further developments aimed at quantifying the error budget of the time-uncorrelated phase unwrapping mistakes and studying time-inconsistent phase artefacts for the generation of InSAR data products. Some experiments, performed by considering a sequence of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images collected by the ASAR sensor onboard the ENVISAT satellite, supported the developed theoretical framework.

Automated summary

This study utilized error noise propagation and perturbation theories to derive theoretical error bounds of ground displacement products in the small baseline (SB) differential interferometric synthetic aperture radar algorithms, using a general formulation of the least-squares (LS) optimization problem. The study emphasized the effects of time-uncorrelated phase unwrapping mistakes and time-inconsistent phase disturbances on SB interferograms, creating a theoretical basis for further developments aimed at quantifying error budget and studying phase artefacts in InSAR data products. Experiments supported the developed theoretical framework using a sequence of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images collected by the ASAR sensor onboard the ENVISAT satellite.