Wake detection performance analysis in X- and C-band SAR images

摘要

A new algorithm for ship wake detection is developed with the aim of ship heading and velocity estimation. It exploits the Radon Transform and utilizes merit indexes in the intensity domain to validate the detected linear features as real components of the ship wake. The algorithm has been applied on 19 wakes in C-band SAR images, gathered by Sentinel 1 mission, with different polarization. Results show that the vast majority of wake features are correctly detected and validated also in critical situations. Moreover, a proper choice of the merit index strongly reduces the false alarm rate.