Development of Educational Sar Processor Using Ajax Technology

Processing techniques used for analyzing synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data have recently become more complicated, as new SAR sensors have included a variety of sensing functions. Understanding the SAR processing technique is necessary to develop a new approach employing SAR data. This paper presents a concept, a system structure, and an implementation method for an educational SAR processor (EduSAR). The processor uses Ajax technology in consideration of the typical computer systems found in schools. EduSAR has three software components, an EduSAR server, an HTTP server and a web browser, in each client computer. The EduSAR server is the main component for managing the SAR database and processing all SAR data sets. Operation of EduSAR, sample processed images and performance capabilities are shown to exhibit actual examples of processing ALOS PALSAR data. An experiment involving the reflection of radar waves, conducted to study the principles of the SAR technique practically, is introduced. This experiment was conducted in the field, and employed several corner reflectors (CRs) which learners constructed themselves, for a spaceborne SAR. EduSAR focused the signals reflecting from the CRs as cross points in the raw SAR data. Students were able to determine the amount of backscattering and the location of the CRs by identifying the corresponding cross points. As a result of the radar reflection experiment, EduSAR was demonstrated to be useful for learning SAR technology through both practical activities and raw SAR data processing. * Corresponding author.