Full resolution interferometric SAR processing

In this paper we present our approach to full resolution IFSAR processing that retains full azimuth and range resolution for a significant fraction of the pixels. This is accomplished through the use of statistical analysis and nonlinear smoothing in conjunction with limited spectral extrapolatian. In our approach, a significant fraction of the pixels retain their original phase values all of the way through the processing. At the same time, we are able to reduce the number of residues by several orders of magnitude. An additional benefit of this approach is the ability to detect and discriminate between complete decorrelation due to large bodies of water and partial decorrelation due to foliage. The approach will be presented along with examples based on ERS tandem pair data.