CROSS-CALIBRATION BETWEEN AIRBORNE SAR SENSORS

Quantitative analyses of SAR signatures require an absolute radiometri c calibration of the complete SAR system. For future multichannel and multisensor remote sensing systems (e.g. SIR-C/X-SAR) it is desirable to be able to cross-calibrate data from different tracks and different sensors (channels). The 1989 joint E-SAR/DC-8 SAR calibration campaig n at the DLR test site in Oberpfaffenhofen gave an opportunity for suc h an experiment, including cross-sensor and cross-track calibration. A basic requirement for successful cross-calibration is the stability o f the SAR systems. The calibration parameters derived from different t racks were used to describe this stability. Criteria for cross-calibra tion performance are the agreement of sigma(o) values and the consiste ncy of radar cross-sections of equally sized corner reflectors.