Wind field analysis from synthetic aperture radar images allows the estimation of wind direction and speed based on image descriptors. In this paper, we propose a framework to automate wind direction retrieval based on wavelet decomposition associated with spectral processing. We extend existing undecimated wavelet transform approaches, by including à trous with B3 spline scaling function, in addition to other wavelet bases as Gabor and Mexican-hat. The purpose is to extract more reliable directional information, when wind speed values range from 5 to 10 ms？1. Using C-band empirical models, associated with the estimated directional information, we calculate local wind speed values and compare our results with QuikSCAT scatterometer data. The proposed approach has potential application in the evaluation of oil spills and wind farms.
References
[1]
Adamo, M.; De Carolis, G.; Morelli, S.; Parmiggiani, F. Synergic use of SAR imagery and high-resolution atmospheric model to estimate wind vector over the Mediterranean Sea. Proc. SPIE？2004, 5574, 470–481.
[2]
Portabella, M.; Stoffelen, A.; Johannessen, J.A. Toward an optimal inversion method for synthetic aperture radar wind retrieval. J. Geophys. Res？2002, 107, 1–13.
[3]
Cameron, I.; Lumsdon, P.; Walker, N.; Woodhouse, I. Synthetic aperture radar for offshore wind resource assessment and wind farm development in the UK. Proceedings of SEASAR 2006: Advances in SAR Oceanography from ENVISAT and ERS Missions, Frascati, Italy, 2006; 613, pp. 1–6.
[4]
Girard-Ardhuin, F.; Mercier, G.; Collard, F.; Garello, R. Operational oil-slick characterization by SAR imagery and synergistic data. IEEE J. Oceanic Eng？2005, 30, 487–495, doi:10.1109/JOE.2005.857526.
Solberg, A.H.S.; Brekke, C.; Hus？y, P.O. Oil spill detection in RADARSAT and ENVISAT SAR images. IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens？2007, 45, 746–755, doi:10.1109/TGRS.2006.887019.
[7]
Du, Y.; Vachon, P.W.; Wolfe, J. Wind direction estimation from SAR images of the ocean using wavelet analysis. Canadian J. Remote Sens？2002, 28, 498–509, doi:10.5589/m02-029.
[8]
Fichaux, N.; Ranchin, T. Combined extraction of high spatial resolution wind speed and wind direction from SAR images: A new approach using wavelet transform. Canadian J. Remote Sens.？2002, 28, 510–516, doi:10.5589/m02-038.
Zecchetto, S.; De Biasio, F. On shape, orientation, and structure of atmospheric cells inside wind rolls in two SAR images. IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens？2002, 40, 2257–2262, doi:10.1109/TGRS.2002.803624.
[11]
Ceccarelli, M.; De Filippo, M.; Di Bisceglie, M.; Galdi, C. A texture based approach for ocean surface wind detection in SAR images. Proceedings of IEEE International Workshop on Imaging Systems and Techniques, IST 2008, Chania, Greece, 2008; pp. 193–197.
[12]
Koch, W. Directional analysis of SAR images aiming at wind direction. IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens？2004, 42, 702–710, doi:10.1109/TGRS.2003.818811.
[13]
Horstmann, J.; Koch, W. Measurement of ocean surface winds using synthetic aperture radars. IEEE J. Oceanic Eng？2005, 30, 14–23.
[14]
Monaldo, F.M.; Thompson, D.R.; Beal, R.C.; Pichel, W.G.; Clemente-Colon, P. Comparison of SAR-derived wind speed with model predictions and ocean buoy measurements. IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens？2001, 39, 2587–2600, doi:10.1109/36.974994.
[15]
Zecchetto, S.; De Biasio, F. A wavelet-based technique for sea wind extraction from SAR images. IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens？2008, 46, 2983–2989, doi:10.1109/TGRS.2008.920967.
[16]
Horstmann, J.; Koch, W.; Lehner, S.; Tonboe, R. Wind retrieval over the ocean using synthetic aperture radar with C-band HH polarization. IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens？2000, 38, 2122–2131, doi:10.1109/36.868871.
[17]
Agency, C.S. Satellite RADARSAT-1, Canadian Space Agency. Available online: http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/satellites/radarsat1 (accessed on 12 August 2005).
[18]
Isoguchi, O.; Shimada, M. An L-band ocean geophysical model function from PALSAR. IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens？2009, 47, 1925–1936, doi:10.1109/TGRS.2008.2010864.
[19]
Choisnard, J.; Power, D.; Davidson, F.; Stone, B.; Howell, C.; Randell, C. Comparison of C-band SAR algorithms to derive surface wind vectors and initial findings in their use marine search and rescue. Canadian J. Remote Sens？2007, 33, 1–11, doi:10.5589/m07-002.
[20]
QuikSCAT data are produced by Remote Sensing Systems and sponsored by the NASA Ocean Vector Winds Science Team. Available online: www.remss.com/ (accessed on 5 June 2010).
[21]
Daubechies, I. Orthonormal bases of wavelets with finite support–connection with discrete filters. In Wavelets, Proceedings of the International Conference on Time-Frequency Methods and Phase Space, Marseille, France, December, 1989; Combes, J.M., Grossmann, A., Tchamitchian, P., Eds.; Springer-Verlag, Berlin: Germany, 1989; pp. 38–39.
[22]
Koch, W.; Feser, F. Relationship between SAR-derived wind vectors and wind at 10-m height represented by a meososcale model. Amer. Meteor. Soc？2006, 26, 1505–1517.
[23]
Stoffelen, A.; Anderson, D. Scatterometer data interpretation: measurement space and inversion. J. Atmos. Oceanic Tech？1997, 14, 1298–1313, doi:10.1175/1520-0426(1997)014<1298:SDIMSA>2.0.CO;2.
[24]
Guiting, S.; Yijun, H.; Yijun, H. Comparison of two wind algorithms of ENVISAT ASAR at high wind. Chin. J. Oceanol. Limnol？2006, 24, 92–96, doi:10.1007/BF02842781.
[25]
Hersbach, H.; Stoffelen, A.; de Haan, S. The improved C-band geophysical model function CMOD5. Proceedings of the 2004 ENVISAT & ERS Symposium, Salzburg, Austria, September, 2004; pp. 1–8.
[26]
Horstmann, J.; Koch, W.; Lehner, S. Ocean wind fields retrieval from the advanced synthetic aperture radar aboard ENVISAT. IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens？2004, 42, 702–710, doi:10.1109/TGRS.2003.818811.
[27]
Kim, D.; Moon, W.M. Estimation of sea surface wind vector using RADARSAT data. ？2002, 80, 55–64.
[28]
Thompson, D.R.; Elfouhaily, T.M.; Chapron, B. Polarization ratio for microwave backscattering from the ocean surface at low to moderate incidence angles. Proceedings of IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, IGARSS ’98, Seattle, WA, USA, 1998; 3, pp. 1671–1673.
[29]
Mallat, S.G. A Wavelet Tour of Signal Processing, 2nd ed ed.; Academic Press: Orlando, FL, USA, 1998.
[30]
Holschneider, M.; Kronland-Martinet, R.; Morlet, J.; Tchamitchian, P. A real-time algorithm for signal analysis with the help of the wavelet transform. In Wavelets, Time-Frequency Methods and Phase Space; Combes, J.M., Grossmann, A., Tchamitchian, P., Eds.; Springer-Verlag, Berlin: Germany, 1989; pp. 286–297.
[31]
Shensa, M. The discrete wavelet transform: wedding the à trous and Mallat algorithms. IEEE Trans. Signal Process？1992, 40, 2464–2482, doi:10.1109/78.157290.
[32]
Dutilleux, P. An implementation of the “algorithme à trous” to compute the wavelet transform. In Wavelets. Time-Frequency Methods and Phase Space; Combes, J.M., Grossmann, A., Tchamitchian, P., Eds.; Springer-Verlag: Berlin, Germany, 1989; pp. 298–304.
[33]
Bijaoui, A.; Starck, J.L.; Murtagh, F. Image Processing and Data Analysis: The Multiscale Approach, 1st ed ed.; Cambridge University Press: New York, NY, USA, 1998.
[34]
Hong, L.; Guan, Y.; Zhang, L. An à trous algorithm based threshold shrinkage denoising method for blood oxygen signal. Proceedings of International Conference on Wavelet Analysis and Pattern Recognition, ICWAPR07, Beijing, China, 2007; 4, pp. 1669–1673.
[35]
Lee, T.S. Image representation using 2D Gabor wavelets. IEEE Trans. Pattern Anal. Machine Intell？1996, 18, 959–971, doi:10.1109/34.541406.
[36]
Cheng, Y.S.; Liang, T.C. Rotational invariant pattern recognition using a composite circular harmonic and 2D isotropic Mexican-hat wavelet filter. Optics Commun？1994, 112, 9–15, doi:10.1016/0030-4018(94)90071-X.
[37]
Kutter, M.; Bhattacharjee, S.K.; Ebrahimi, T. Towards second generation watermarking schemes. Proceedings of IEEE International Conference Image Processing, ICIP99, Kobe, Japan, 1999; pp. 320–323.
[38]
Horstmann, J.; Koch, W.; Lehner, S.; Tonboe, R. Ocean winds from RADARSAT-1 ScanSAR. Canadian J. Remote Sens？2002, 28, 524–533, doi:10.5589/m02-043.
[39]
Oliveira, J.G., Jr.; Medeiros, W.E.; Tabosa, W.F.; Vital, H. From barchan to domic shape: evolution of a coastal sand dune in Northeastern Brazil based on GPR survey. Brazilian J. Geophy？2008, 26, 5–20.
