Complex Isotropic α-Stable-Rician Model for Heterogeneous SAR Images

Abstract

This article introduces a novel probability distribution model, namely Complex Isotropic -Stable-Rician (CI SR), for characterizing the data histogram of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. Having its foundation situated on the L\'evy -stable distribution suggested by a generalized Central Limit Theorem, the model promises great potential in accurately capturing SAR image features of extreme heterogeneity. A novel parameter estimation method based on the generalization of method of moments to expectations of Bessel functions is devised to resolve the model in a relatively compact and computationally efficient manner. Experimental results based on both synthetic and empirical SAR data exhibit the CI SR model's superior capacity in modelling scenes of a wide range of heterogeneity when compared to other state-of-the-art models as quantified by various performance metrics. Additional experiments are conducted utilizing large-swath SAR images which encompass mixtures of several scenes to help interpret the CI SR model parameters, and to demonstrate the model's potential application in classification and target detection.

Tasks

Reproductions