Extract Forest Height from PolInSAR Image Based on Decomposition Scattering Component and Polarization State Optimization Technique

PolInSAR technology is a promising technique for building biomass and forest height maps currently. However, there are some major drawbacks in estimating forest heights using PolInSAR images including the assumption that the interferometry coherence coefficient of the surface scattering component is ideal and that the interaction between surface scattering and volume scattering is ignored. This paper proposes a maner by the combination of decompotion scattering component and optimizing polarimetric state technique to overcome the above limitation. The proposed method, in addition to improving the accuracy of forest parameter estimation, also faithfully reflects the interaction of radar waves in the natural environment. The effectiveness of the suggested method was evaluated with the UAV-SAR data received from the AfiSAR project of NASA/JPL001 and the reference LiDAR data. Results indicate that RMSE of suggested method approximate 3.2 m and R2 is 0.85. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.