Stokes matrix polarimetric similarity parameter and its application in target detection

Feature extraction and target detection using a polarimetric synthetic aperture radar image is currently of great interest in synthetic aperture radar applications. The polarimetric similarity parameter (PSP) is an effective parameter to analyse target characteristics, and the similarity between a target and the canonical target can be used for target discrimination. To describe a complex distributed target, a new method to calculate PSP based on the Stokes matrix is proposed. The characteristic of a target can be described and extracted on the basis of PSP, and then a target detection method using Stokes matrix-based PSP is also implemented. The proposed target detection method is demonstrated with the Danish ElectroMagnetic Institute Synthetic Aperture Radar L-band fully polarized images of the Foulum agricultural test site. The results confirmed that the proposed model is accurate and effective for detection and analysis of buildings in urban areas.