A high precision workstation-based chirp scaling SAR processor

In order to meet the challenges of new spaceborne multi-mode SAR sensors and missions, a multi-sensor chirp scaling SAR processor is currently under development at the German Remote Sensing Data Center DFD. High precision data processing is ensured by floating point data representation, frequent processing parameter update as well as the underlying phase preserving chirp scaling algorithm enhanced to deal with arbitrary Doppler centroid variations over range. The availability of high performance general purpose computers enables the use of standard programming languages and hardware, even if a high throughput is required for operational applications. Multithreading software techniques lead to scalable processing systems running efficiently on different platforms ranging from single CPU workstations to multiprocessor systems. This paper describes the algorithms, the design and the implementation concept of this highly flexible SAR processor. Detailed image quality and throughput results based on simulated as well as real SAR data are presented.