Analysis of LiDAR data for multi-parametric SAR derived forest height validation

Kurzfassung

Forest height is one of the main parameters for the management and monitoring of forested areas. The objective of this work is to compare forest height estimates from different remote sensing systems: Airborne Lidar (TopScan GmbH with a Riegl Sensor), Spaceborne Lidar (ICESat/GLAS) and Radar PolInSAR (E-SAR). Investigations were done over test site “Thüringer Wald”, a temperate coniferous forest placed in a hilly topography with strong slopes. ICESat/GLAS is a full waveform LiDAR system with a footprint size of 65m. The GLAS dataset for the test site encloses three acquisition tracks for the period from 2004 to 2007. Airborne LiDAR data were acquired in 2003 and 2004, providing a 5m resolution DTM (ground echoes) and DSM (vegetation echoes). The L-band PolInSAR dataset were acquired by DLR’s E-SAR system in 2009, in an ascending and a descending mode (two different look directions). Because of the strong topography in the test site, slope correction plays a crucial role in the analysis of the different data sets. Height estimates of the different data, with particular focus on the ICESat/GLAS waveform analysis, have been compared and discussed.