APSAR/IEEE GRSS All Japan Joint Chapter SAR Tutorial
Information
| Date & Time | Oct. 5 (Sun) 10:00 - 17:30 (Tentative) |
|---|---|
| Place | Small Hall (1st Floor) |
| Language | English |
| Maximum Number of Participants | 40 people |
| Registration Fee | Free (Participation in the tutorial is free-of-charge but conference registration is required.) |
The registration deadline for the tutorial is the same as the one for the conference.
However, registration may be closed even before the registration period is over if we meet the maximum number of participants.
Please apply from the conference registration form.
Timetable
Coming Soon
Subjects
Subject 1: SAR Basics
From its experimental beginnings in space operations about 50 years ago, SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) has evolved to not only observe the Earth on a global scale but also to become an essential tool for crisis management, enabling us to lead safer lives. SAR now holds a highly significant position both academically and in practical applications.
Today, there is an abundance of software and data for analysis, and computational environments exist not only on personal computers but also on cloud platforms, whose physical locations are often unknown—a development unimaginable half a century ago. However, SAR's origins can be traced back to the second of the four fundamental forces governing our society: electromagnetism. Beginning with the discovery of Coulomb's law in 1785, followed by Michael Faraday's electromagnetic induction, and James Clerk Maxwell's 1864 prediction of electromagnetic waves, the groundwork for remote sensing using electromagnetic waves was laid. Approximately 120 years later, the launch of Seasat in the United States heralded the era of Earth observation using electromagnetism.
Since then, various SAR systems have been developed, advancing device technologies, theoretical frameworks, and practical applications. Time has flown, bringing us to the present era where SAR-based remote sensing has made remarkable progress.
This course offers a comprehensive study of SAR fundamentals. Starting from the basics of electromagnetism, it covers the development and history of SAR, principles of imaging, often-overlooked key concepts, interferometry, and polarimetry, among other topics.
Below are the key subjects covered in this course.
① Introduction and History
② Hardware-block diagram and mode
③ Imaging principle and speckle noise
④ NRCS and Radar equation of the SAR and raw data
⑤ Geometry and Radiometry (Slope correction and ortho-rectification)
⑥ Calibration (Radiometry, Geometry, Polarimetry)
⑦ Interferometry
⑧ Irregularity
⑨ Application Examples (Deforestation & Landslide)
⑩ Polarimetry
Prerequisites: You only need to bring your laptop.
Prof. Masanobu Shimada, Tokyo Denki University
Prof. Masanobu Shimada received the BS and MS degrees in aeronautical engineering from Kyoto University in 1977 and 1979, and the PhD degree in electrical engineering from the University of Tokyo in 1999. He joined the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in 1979 and conducted the research projects for 34 years. His most impacted achievements are the deformation detection of the Hanshinn-Awaji-Earthquake using the JERS-1 SAR Interferometry, generation of world first global SAR mosaics that depicts the annual deforestation change, and experimental near real time deforestation monitoring using the ALOS/PALSAR ScanSAR.
Since April 1 2015, He is a professor at Tokyo Denki University, and a guest professor of Yamaguchi University, and teaching the students in radar remote sensing.
Subject 2: SAR Interferometry from Basics to Application
Nowadays, SAR interferometry (InSAR) is one of the largest applications of spaceborne SAR. Measuring ground deformation caused by earthquakes and volcanos as well as ground subsidence and landslides provides us various demands in various situations. On the other hand, recent artificial intelligence (AI)-based methods often ignore the principles of radar interferometry, physical mathematical behavior of microwaves. In this course, we firstly provide the principle of InSAR and deformation monitoring which is a practical application of differential InSAR. As an experiments, we then make a “hand-made” InSAR software to understand how it works.
Prerequisites: A laptop PC which runs Python and/or MATLAB is required for experiments. Some background in SAR processing especially in InSAR techniques and microwave scattering would be an advantage.
Prof. Ryo Natsuaki, University of Tokyo
Prof. Ryo Natsuaki received B. S., M. S. and Ph. D. degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Tokyo, Japan in 2009, 2011 and 2014, respectively. He was Aerospace Project Research Associate of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Tsukuba, Japan from 2014 to 2017.
He was also a guest scientist with Microwaves and Radar Institute, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany from 2018 to
2020 under JSPS Overseas Research Fellowships. He is currently an Associate Professor with the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Systems, the University of Tokyo, Japan.
Subject 3: Ground-based SAR: Basic Theory and Applications
SAR remote sensing has historically been used in spaceborne and airborne applications to monitor Earth's surface. Meanwhile, from the late 1990s, ground-based SAR (GB-SAR) has emerged as a flexible tool for displacement measurement, offering adaptability in observation geometry and acquisition intervals. This trend has led to a growing demand for near-real-time radar data processing. Leveraging these advantages, GB-SAR has been widely applied in areas such as landslide monitoring, open-pit mining, and infrastructure monitoring through time-series InSAR techniques. This tutorial introduces the fundamentals of GB-SAR, including imaging techniques, near-real-time InSAR methods, and examples of social implementations. Additionally, it includes a hands-on session with indoor radar imaging and a displacement experiment, allowing participants to gain practical insights into how GB-SAR operates.
Prerequisites: None.
Prof. Yuta Izumi, Muroran Institute of Technology
Prof. Yuta Izumi received his B. Eng and M. Eng from Chiba University, Japan, in 2016, and 2018, respectively, and his Ph.D in radar remote sensing from Tohoku University, Japan, in 2021. From 2018 to 2020, he was a JSPS research fellow DC1. From 2019 to 2020, he stayed at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, Switzerland. From 2021 to 2022, he was a JSPS research fellow (postdoctoral) at the Institute of Industrial Science, the University of Tokyo. He is currently an assistant professor at Muroran Institute of Technology. His research interests include SAR interferometry and polarimetry and their applications for disaster mitigation and infrastructure health monitoring.
Subject 4: Introduction to SAR Applications
Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is utilized in various fields, including monitoring of biosphere (e.g. forest), geosphere (volcano, earthquake), cryosphere (ice, glacier), and even other planets (Moon, Venus), as well as socially beneficial applications such as disaster damage assessment, agricultural monitoring, and maritime observation. This lecture aims to provide insights into how SAR is utilized and how it contributes to science and societal benefits. We hope this will inspire your interest and motivate you to learn more about SAR.
Prerequisites: This lecture is suitable for students, scientists, and engineers, including those who are not yet familiar with SAR applications. Basic knowledges on remote sensing and SAR imagery would be helpful but not required.
Dr. Masato Ohki, JAXA
Dr. Masato Ohki received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in earth and planetary science from the Tokyo Institute of Technology and the University of Tokyo, respectively, and received a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Tokyo. Since 2007, he has been a researcher at the Earth Observation Research Center (EORC), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
Link
IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society All Japan Joint Chapter