Edge enhancement algorithm based on the wavelet transform for automatic edge detection in SAR images

This paper presents a novel technique for automatic edge enhancement and detection in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. The characteristics of SAR images justify the importance of an edge enhancement step prior to edge detection. Therefore, this paper presents a robust and unsupervised edge enhancement algorithm based on a combination of wavelet coefficients at different scales. The performance of the method is first tested on simulated images. Then, in order to complete the automatic detection chain, among the different options for the decision stage, the use of geodesic active contour is proposed. The second part of this paper suggests the extraction of the coastline in SAR images as a particular case of edge detection. Hence, after highlighting its practical interest, the technique that is theoretically presented in the first part of this paper is applied to real scenarios. Finally, the chances of its operational capability are assessed.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Automatic Delineation of Water Bodies in SAR Images with a Novel Stochastic Distance Approach

Coastal regions and surface waters are among the fundamental biological and social development resources worldwide. For this reason, it is essential to thoroughly monitor these regions to determine and characterize their geographical features and environmental health. These geographical regions, however, present several monitoring challenges when using remotely sensed imagery. Small water bodies tend to be surrounded by swamps, marshes, or vegetation, making accurate border detection difficult. Coastal waters, in turn, experience several phenomena due to winds, undercurrents, and waves, which also hamper the detection of environmental hazards like oil spills. In this work, we propose an automated segmentation algorithm that can be applied to these targets in airborne and spaceborne SAR images. The method is based on pointwise detection in fuzzy borders using a parameter estimation of the (Formula presented.) distribution, which has been successfully used in similar contexts. The underlying assumption is that the sought-for border separates regions with different textures, each having different distribution parameters. Then, stochastic distances can identify the most likely point where this parameter change occurs. A curve interpolation algorithm then estimates the actual contour of the body given the detected points. We assess the adequacy of eight stochastic distances that are mostly applied in the literature. We evaluate the performance of our method in terms of similarity between true and detected boundaries on simulated and actual SAR images, achieving promising results. The performance of our proposal is assessed by Hausdorff distance and Intersection over Union. In the case of synthetic data, the selection of the best stochastic distance depends on the parameters of the (Formula presented.) distribution. In contrast, the harmonic-mean and triangular distances produced the best results in detecting borders in three actual SAR images of lagoons. Finally, we present the results of our proposal applied to an image with oil spills using Bhattacharyya, Hellinger, and Jensen–Shannon distances.Fil: Rey, Andrea Alejandra. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Revollo Sarmiento, Natalia Veronica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto de Ciencias e Ingeniería de la Computación. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Ciencias e Ingeniería de la Computación. Instituto de Ciencias e Ingeniería de la Computación; ArgentinaFil: Frery, Alejandro César. Victoria University Of Wellington; Nueva ZelandaFil: Delrieux, Claudio Augusto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto de Ciencias e Ingeniería de la Computación. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Ciencias e Ingeniería de la Computación. Instituto de Ciencias e Ingeniería de la Computación; Argentin

A locally statistical active contour model for SAR image segmentation can be solved by denoising algorithms

In this paper, we propose a novel locally statistical variational active contour model based on I-divergence-TV denoising model, which hybrides geodesic active contour (GAC) model with active contours without edges (ACWE) model, and can be used to segment images corrupted by multiplicative gamma noise. By adding a diffusion term into the level set evolution (LSE) equation of the proposed model, we construct a reaction-diffusion (RD) equation, which can gradually regularize the level set function (LSF) to be piecewise constant in each segment domain and gain the stable solution. We further transform the proposed model into classic ROF model by adding a proximity term. Inspired by a fast denoising algorithm proposed by Jia-Zhao recently, we propose two fast fixed point algorithms to solve SAR image segmentation question. Experimental results for real SAR images show that the proposed image segmentation model can efficiently stop the contours at weak or blurred edges, and can automatically detect the exterior and interior boundaries of images with multiplicative gamma noise. The proposed FPRD1/FPRD2 models are about 1/2 (or less than) of the time required for the SBRD model based on the Split Bregman technique.Comment: 18 pages, 15 figures. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:2312.11849, arXiv:2312.08376, arXiv:2312.0936

Information Extraction and Modeling from Remote Sensing Images: Application to the Enhancement of Digital Elevation Models

To deal with high complexity data such as remote sensing images presenting metric resolution over large areas, an innovative, fast and robust image processing system is presented. The modeling of increasing level of information is used to extract, represent and link image features to semantic content. The potential of the proposed techniques is demonstrated with an application to enhance and regularize digital elevation models based on information collected from RS images

Accelerating the Usage of Earth and Oceans Observation Data in Hydrographic Applications

Accessing accurate, up-to-date data to support chart production in Canada’s vast and complex waterways can be challenging. In order to improve efficiency in charting these navigable waters, The Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS) has developed new techniques that leverage Satellite Based Earth Observation (EO) data. The main applications developed by CHS include: Satellite Derived Bathymetry (SDB), intertidal zone mapping, extraction of accurate coastlines, change detection/rate of change of coastal features and virtual tidal gauges. The results obtained demonstrate that EO data is a reliable source of Hydrospatial information that can meet the CHS and International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) charting requirements.El acceso a datos precisos y actualizados para apoyar la producción de cartas delas vastas y complejas vías fluviales de Canadá puede ser un desafío. Para mejorar la eficacia al cartografiar estas aguas navegables, el Servicio Hidrográfico Canadiense (CHS) ha desarrollado nuevas técnicas que utilizan datos de la Observación de la Tierra (EO) por satélite. Las principales aplicaciones desarrolladas por el CHS incluyen: Batimetría satelital (SDB), cartografía de zonas inter-mareales, extracción de líneas de costa precisas, detección de cambios/nivel de cambios de características costeras y mareógrafos virtuales. Los resultados obtenidos demuestran que los datos de OE son una fuente fidedigna de información hidroespacial que puede cumplir los costeras y mareógrafos virtuales. Los resultados obtenidos demuestran que los datos de OE son una fuente fidedigna de información hidroespacial que puede cumplir los requisitos cartográficos del CHS y de la Organización Hidrográfica Internacional (OHI).Accéder à des données exactes et à jour en vue de soutenir la production de cartes dans les vastes et complexes voies navigables du Canada peut représenter un défi. Afin d’améliorer l’efficacité dans la cartographie de ces eaux navigables, le Service hydrographique canadien (SHC) a développé de nouvelles techniques qui exploitent les données d’observation de la Terre (EO) par satellite. Les principales applications développées par le SHC comprennent : la bathymétrie par satellite (SDB), la cartographie de la zone intertidale, l’extraction de lignes de côte précises, la détection des changements/le taux de changement des caractéristiques côtières et les marégraphes virtuels. Les résultats obtenus montrent que les données EO sont une source fiable d’informations hydrospatiales qui peuvent répondre aux exigences en matière de cartographie du SHC et de l’Organisation hydrographique internationale (OHI)