A comparison of three SAR interference filters

Three interference filters are discussed and their ability to remove the interference while leaving target signal data is quantified. The filters are adaptive frequency-domain spike filtering; adaptive frequency-domain interference determination and masking; and interference-target correlation masking. Using Jet Propulsion Laboratory Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (JPL AIRSAR) data, the algorithms are applied to three data sets. The resultant compressed Stokes matrix data are compared with the normally processed interference-free image in a quantitative sense. The algorithms are evaluated by measuring the polarization signature, SNR, equivalent number of looks, and impulse response of the processed images.