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Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Remote Sensing: Challenges and Future Direction

A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Radar Sensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 August 2025 | Viewed by 1098

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
China Academy of Space Technology, Beijing Institute of Space System Engineering, Beijing 100086, China
Interests: satellite system design; microwave remote sensing technology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is an active microwave imaging system that offers the advantage of being able to image in all weather and lighting conditions. SAR operates by transmitting a series of pulses and subsequently processing the received echoes to generate two-dimensional images for observing specific areas. And it plays a pivotal role in various domains, including Earth observation, environmental monitoring, disaster management, resource management, and national security. The rapid advancement in SAR technology is driven by multiple factors such as application needs, sensor design, signal processing algorithms, data analysis methods, and satellite platform technologies. Currently, SAR data acquisition methods are transitioning from single-band, single-polarization, and single-angle approaches to encompass multi-frequency, multi-polarization, multi-angle, and multi-temporal capabilities. This advancement is shaping a multi-dimensional signal processing system of SAR to meet the needs of high-resolution imaging, three-dimensional information acquisition, vegetation inversion, and other applications. Research focused on the signal processing and data processing technology of advanced SAR plays a pivotal role in promoting the development of the design and application of a new system.

The focus of this Special Issue lies in advanced SAR and signal processing technology, with the aim of fostering the development of novel radar signal processing and data processing techniques within a new paradigm. Specifically, it welcomes manuscripts that include, but are not limited to, the following topics:

  • Advanced radar system technology;
  • Ultra-high-resolution imaging technology;
  • High-resolution wide-swath imaging technology;
  • Interferometric synthetic aperture radar technology;
  • Dual/multi-station technology;
  • Intelligent radar and processing technology;
  • Advanced radar application technology.

Prof. Dr. Qingjun Zhang
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • synthetic aperture radar (SAR)
  • radar system
  • SAR signal processing

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 5975 KiB  
Article
Quantitative Retrieval of Soil Salinity in Arid Regions: A Radar Feature Space Approach with Fully Polarimetric SAR Data
by Ilyas Nurmemet, Aihepa Aihaiti, Yilizhati Aili, Xiaobo Lv, Shiqin Li and Yu Qin
Sensors 2025, 25(8), 2512; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25082512 - 16 Apr 2025
Viewed by 38
Abstract
Soil salinization is a critical factor affecting land desertification and limiting agricultural development in arid regions, and the rapid acquisition of salinized soil information is crucial for prevention and mitigation efforts. In this study, we selected the Yutian Oasis in Xinjiang, China as [...] Read more.
Soil salinization is a critical factor affecting land desertification and limiting agricultural development in arid regions, and the rapid acquisition of salinized soil information is crucial for prevention and mitigation efforts. In this study, we selected the Yutian Oasis in Xinjiang, China as the study area and utilized Gaofen-3 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) remote sensing data and field measurements to analyze the correlations between the salinized soil properties and 36 polarimetric radar feature components. Based on the analysis results, two components with the highest correlation, namely, Yamaguchi4_vol (p < 0.01) and Freeman3_vol (p < 0.01), were selected to construct a two-dimensional feature space, named Yamaguchi4_vol-Freeman3_vol. Based on this feature space, a radar salinization monitoring index (RSMI) model was developed. The results indicate that the RSMI exhibited a strong correlation with the surface soil salinity, with a correlation coefficient of 0.85. The simulated values obtained using the RSMI model were well-fitted to the measured soil electrical conductivity (EC) values, achieving an R2 value of 0.72 and a root mean square error (RMSE) of 7.28 dS/m. To assess the model’s generalizability, we applied the RSMI to RADARSAT-2 SAR data from the environmentally similar Weiku Oasis. The validation results showed comparable accuracy (R2 = 0.70, RMSE = 9.29 dS/m), demonstrating the model’s robustness for soil salinity retrieval across different arid regions. This model offers a rapid and reliable approach for quantitative monitoring and assessment of soil salinization in arid regions using fully polarimetric radar remote sensing. Furthermore, it lays the groundwork for further exploring the application potential of Gaofen-3 satellite data and expanding its utility in soil salinization monitoring. Full article
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13 pages, 15858 KiB  
Communication
Enhancement of Spurious Signal Suppression in Microstrip Mixers by Load Resistor Termination
by Catur Apriono, Abdurrasyid Ruhiyat, Farohaji Kurniawan, Arokiaswami Alphones and Fitri Yuli Zulkifli
Sensors 2025, 25(2), 355; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25020355 - 9 Jan 2025
Viewed by 534
Abstract
The mixer is an essential component in RF transceiver subsystems. It has a role in shifting the signal frequency for more convenient processing of up-conversion as well as down-conversion. Despite generating the desired signal, the mixer also generates spurious noise that wastes power [...] Read more.
The mixer is an essential component in RF transceiver subsystems. It has a role in shifting the signal frequency for more convenient processing of up-conversion as well as down-conversion. Despite generating the desired signal, the mixer also generates spurious noise that wastes power and reduces the performance of the overall system. This research proposes the design of a microstrip mixer that can enhance the suppression of spurious signals by utilizing the characteristics of the load resistor termination. The simulation results show that by adding the load resistor, the parasitic electrical field on the diode and the reflection signal inside the mixer can be reduced. The measurement result also validates that the suppression of the spurious signal is enhanced, where the signal-to-noise ratio can reach above 50 dB on the single-balanced mixer and above 60 dB on the double-balanced mixer. Full article
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