Orthorectification SAR module


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Description


The Orthorectification SAR module orthorectifies synthetic aperture radar (SAR) scenes that contain a valid math-model segment.
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Parameters


Name Caption
Input Scenes Input folder
Output Folder Output folder
Output File Type Output file type
Output File Options Output file options
Overwrite Results Overwrite existing results
Send Email Email notification settings
Source Background Type Source background type
Source Background Value Source background pixel value
DEM Source DEM tile source
Output Map Units Output projection
Output Pixel Size Output pixel size
Resampling Method Resampling method
Resampling Method Extra Options Extra options for resampling method
Sampling Interval Range Range from sampling interval is selected
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Parameter descriptions

Input Scenes

The path and name of the folder containing raw images that include a valid math-model segment. Images in this folder must have been processed previously with one of the modules in the following table, depending on whether points have been collected.

When Specify Input Scenes as
No points have been collected Path and name of the output folder of the Data Ingest module
Only ground control points (GCPs) have been collected Path and name of the output folder of the GCP Collection module
Only tie points (TP) have been collected Path and name of the output folder of the Tie-Point Collection and Refinement module
Only GCPs and TPs have been collected Path and name of the output folder of the Tie-Point Collection and Refinement module
This parameter can be specified by using any of the following:

Output Folder

The path and name of the folder in which to write the output orthorectified image scenes.

Output images are created using a file name generated automatically that includes the image scene, state, and image type.

Note: When the output folder is on another computer on your network, the orthorectified imagery is created temporarily in a local temporary folder, and then copied to the specified output folder; the local copy is then deleted.

Output File Type

The format of the output file.

For more information on the supported file formats, see GDB-supported file formats.

Output File Options

The options to apply when creating the output file or files. The available options are specific to the file format; in each case, the default of no options is allowed.

For more information on the options available for the output file type you specify, see GDB-supported file formats.

Overwrite Results

Select this check box to overwrite the existing output files, if any exist. If this check box is left clear, and an output file exists in the relevant folder, the status of the job displays a message informing you of the existence and name of the output file. The message is also written to the event log of the job.

Send Email

If necessary, you can set up CATALYST Enterprise to send an email notification on job start and job completion.

With this check box selected, an email message is sent to each address specified in the Email Addresses box after the job starts and on completion.

You can specify one or more addresses, and each must be separated by a comma or a semi-colon. The email address of the user currently logged in displays by default.

Source Background Type

The method to use to determine which pixels in the source image to process as background (NoData) pixels. In general, if a pixel is considered NoData, the module processes it in a specific manner.

If the Any option or the All option is selected, a value must be specified for the Source Background Value parameter.

Available options are:

For specific examples, see the Source Background Value parameter description.

Source Background Value

The source background value or values when the Source Background Type parameter is set to:

The source background value is provided as either a single number (applied to all channels) or as a pixel "stack" (a comma-delimited list of values). If a pixel stack is provided, but the number of values does not equal the number of channels, the list is truncated or the last value is repeated as necessary. The background values provided is truncated to the range allowed by the source image data type.

The following examples apply to a 3-channel, 8-bit unsigned image:

DEM Source

The name of a single digital elevation model (DEM) file or a folder containing one or more DEM tiles.

This parameter can be specified by using any of the following:

The index.txt file lists the DEM files contained in the specified folder and provides information describing each DEM tile. The information in the DEM index file supersedes other DEM parameters in the module; all other DEM-related parameters are ignored. For more information about the format of the index.txt file and specific requirements for the individual DEM tiles, see Format of the DEM index file.

When the value of DEM Source is the name of an existing folder, the module searches that folder for a file named index.txt, and a set of DEM raster tiles. The index.txt file contains a single vector channel that lists the DEM files contained in the specified folder and provides information describing each DEM tile.

Output Map Units

The projection of the output imagery.

The value of this parameter must be in the PCI Projection String format.

The standard definitions are:

If you do not specify a value for Output Map Units, the map unit of the input image is used for the output image. If the input data is a variety of map units, the map unit of each output image is that of its corresponding input image. In such a case, it is recommended that you specify the output map units.

You can also specify the label of a projection defined in the userproj.txt file.

Output Pixel Size

The sample size of the output imagery.

The output pixel size must be specified in the value (units) of Output Map Units; for example, when the value of Output Map Units is specified as a UTM zone, the pixel output size must be in meters. When the value is specified as Long/Lat, the pixel size must be in decimal degrees.

If a single value is specified, that value applies to both x and y values.

If no value is specified for this parameter, the pixel output size is based on the input math model associated with each scene in the input folder.

Resampling Method

The resampling method to use during processing.

Available resampling options are:

Resampling Method Extra Options

When you specify a value for the Resampling Method parameter, you can use the Resampling Method Extra Options parameter to specify additional options. The available options are specific to the following resampling methods:
Note: With each resampling method, the parameters MIN=[min], MAX=[max], and FILL=[NN or BGD] can be appended as a comma-delimited list. MIN and MAX define the clamp range for output pixels. This is useful when you want to keep pixel values within a certain range; for example, 1 to 2047 if 11-bit data is stored in a 16-bit file. FILL defines the behavior when the resampling window contains NoData pixels: NN instructs the resampler to use the Nearest Neighbor method, while BGD indicates that the output pixel is set to the background value. By default, NN is used for FILL.

Sampling Interval Range

The range from which the sampling interval is selected. The range consists of two values: a minimum and maximum sampling interval. When you specify a range, the sampling interval is calculated based on the ratio of the resolution of the digital elevation model (DEM) and that of the output orthorectification.

When you specify only a single value, the value is used as the sampling interval and not calculated.

Example 1:
Sampling Interval Range = 1, 4
DEM resolution     = 10m
Ortho resolution   =  5m
Ratio = 2
Sampling Interval = 2
Example 2:
Sampling Interval Range = 2, 6
DEM resolution     = 1m, 1m
Ortho resolution   = 0.1m, 0.2m
Ratio = 10, 5
Sampling Interval = floor((0.1+0.2) / 2) = 7.5
Final Sampling Interval = 6 (because maximum in range forces to 6)
Example 3:
Sampling Interval Range = 2, 4
DEM resolution     = 1m, 1m
Ortho resolution   = 5m, 5m
Ratio = 1/5, 1/5
Sampling Interval = floor((1/5+1/5) / 2) = 0
Final Sampling Interval = 4 (because minimum in range forces to 4)

The sampling interval is the pixel spacing at which the math model is evaluated to determine the source raster location of the orthorectified pixel. A value of 1 performs a rigorous calculation on each output pixel.

With sampling intervals of 2 or greater, the intermediate pixels are the projection from the image to the Earth surface and is approximated by linearly interpolating it from the nearest locations at which the full orthorectification operation was performed.

A value of 1 is suitable in most situations. With math models that are more computationally intensive, a higher value can improve performance, but is at the expense of accuracy. The amount of loss of accuracy depends on the viewing geometry, resolution of the digital elevation model (DEM), and roughness of the DEM. When the area of interest features rugged areas, a higher value may degrade the detail of the terrain correction.

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Details

General job details

Preprocessing requirements

Before running this module, the following requirements must be met to ensure the job processes successfully and produces accurate results:

Module details

Orthorectification is an essential process in any photogrammetric project because, after it is performed, you can relate features to their actual locations on Earth. It also provides a means of taking accurate measurements.

Orthorectification uses a rigorous math model and a digital elevation model (DEM) to correct distortions in raw images. The quality of the orthorectified image is related directly to the quality of the rigorous math model and the DEM. A poorly computed math model, an inaccurate DEM, or a DEM georeferenced incorrectly to the math model will cause errors in the orthorectified images.

The Orthorectification SAR module automatically orthorectifies and corrects image scenes that contain a valid math-model segment.

Job results

The results produced by the Orthorectification SAR module vary, depending on the input data types; however, all output files will generally have output file name appended with _ORTHO. The output files are orthorectified images, stored in the specified output location.

The output file name format is:

<SCENE ID>_<ORTHO>_<DATA TYPE>.pix

where:
  • <SCENE ID>: the scene ID of the image to be orthorectified
  • <ORTHO>: indicates that the image is orthorectified
  • <DATA TYPE>: indicates the output data type (SAR)

For example, if the input-scenes folder or folders contained raw SAR imagery, the output files would be similar to the ones given in the following example:

…\RS2_OK20118_PK209351_DK195500_S6_20110507_025647_HH_HV_SGF_RAW_SAR.pix
…\RS2_OK20118_PK209355_DK195504_S7_20110517_030509_HH_HV_SGF_RAW_SAR.pix
…\RS2_OK20118_PK209356_DK195505_S5_20110521_024825_HH_HV_SGF_RAW_SAR.pix

        |
        | 
        V
…\RS2_OK20118_PK209351_DK195500_S6_20110507_025647_HH_HV_SGF_ORTHO_SAR.pix
…\RS2_OK20118_PK209355_DK195504_S7_20110517_030509_HH_HV_SGF_ORTHO_SAR.pix
…\RS2_OK20118_PK209356_DK195505_S5_20110521_024825_HH_HV_SGF_ORTHO_SAR.pix

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