Cascaded multi-baseline interferometry with bistatic TerraSAR-X/TanDEM-X observations for DEM generation

As the spaceborne mission dedicated to bistatic SAR interferometry (InSAR), the TerraSAR-X/TanDEM-X satellite constellation can acquire highly coherent data pairs with flexible baseline configurations and minimal atmospheric disturbances, which are well suited for high-accuracy DEM generation. However, hindered by the intrinsic contradiction between sensitivity of height measurement and reliability of phase unwrapping in terms of normal baseline length, as well as geometric distortions of layover and shadow, it is still difficult to generate high-quality DEM in mountainous areas using single-baseline InSAR data. Aiming at these two problems, we developed a cascaded multi-baseline InSAR processing framework for DEM generation from multiple bistatic InSAR observations with variable normal baselines and different imaging geometries. By starting from phase unwrapping and phase-to-height conversion for the interferogram with shortest normal baseline, this approach adopted a strategy of DEM updating assisted by a reference elevation dataset. The updated DEM is then used as the reference for processing interferograms with longer baselines successively. In this iterative way, the quality of the resultant InSAR DEM can be improved gradually. In addition, fusion between multiple geocoded InSAR DEMs derived from different orbits is carried out to further refine the results by filling data voids and reducing random height noise. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, we apply it to four pairs of stripmap-mode TerraSAR-X/TanDEM-X bistatic data covering the Mount Song area in central China. The vertical accuracies of the generated DEMs are evaluated using an aerial photogrammetric DEM, ICESat/GLAS measurements, and the standard TanDEM-X global DEM product. The experimental results show that the absolute height error of the generated multi-baseline InSAR DEM at 5 m posting is less than 10 m in typical mountainous areas and can meet the American HRTI-3 standard, which means the generated DEM has similar height accuracy and higher spatial resolution in comparison with the 12 m TanDEM-X global DEM products.