Polarimetric analysis of land use and cover using SAR polarimetry target analysis and the Corine Land Cover methodology

This article presents the results of the polarimetry analysis, through a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image with four polarizations using the SAR polarimetry target analysis tool, carried out on the land covers obtained with the Corine Land Cover methodology and verifying them with images from passive sensors in an area of the Bogota savannah, as a result of the research work of the Spatial Data Research Centre (NIDE) and its Research Group on Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems GEIPER, of the Francisco Jose de Caldas District University. Due to the Colombian climatic conditions, which do not allow obtaining data frequently from passive sensors for the generation and updating of basic and thematic cartography, this research group has seen the need to analyse and evaluate the use of data sources from active sensors, such as radars, to guarantee the achievement of information necessary for territorial monitoring, such as land use and land cover maps. Within this context, synthetic aperture radar images have been used by many international institutions and, much less frequently, by national ones, usually applying a single polarization, which generates greater dedication in field and post-editing work. . It is precisely the current possibility of being able to work with four polarizations that directed the work team to carry out an analysis of this type of images, adopting one of the most widely used classification systems in the country, the Corine Land Cover. For this, polarimetry theoretical references and commercial software modules are chosen, such as SAR polarimetry target analysis (SPTA) from Catalyst, a PCI Geomatics brand.