Student Paper 1.8
GLRT-detection performance in subsurface sounding

Massimo Sciotti - INFOCOM Dpt., University of Rome La Sapienza, Debora Pastina - INFOCOM Dpt., University of Rome La Sapienza, Pierfrancesco Lombardo - INFOCOM Dpt., University of Rome La Sapienza

Tue, 27 April 2004, 9:30 AM - 10:20 AM

Abstract

The performance of subsurface deep sounding is investigated with reference to the radar sounder MARSIS, aboard the Mars Express mission, designed to investigate the presence of water-related interfaces in the subsurface of Mars. The analysis proposed in this paper aims at providing the necessary tools for (i) performance prediction and (ii) data processor design. To this aim, by using well known models for the backscattered signal, we compare the expected Signal-to-Clutter Ratio values under most of the instrument operative conditions. The Generalized Likelihood Ratio approach is followed for subsurface interface detection, and along-track integration is introduced in order to achieve the desired performance. In particular, we address the design of the integration window, and the requirements of data homogeneity. A thorough performance analysis is presented to cope with the expected MARSIS scenarios. In particular, we investigate several sources of mismatch between the assumed model and collected data, and derive the performance degradation due to each source.

Bios

Massimo Sciotti was born in Rome, Italy, on November 3, 1973. He received the Communication Engineering degree from the University of Rome La Sapienza in 2000. He served as an Engineer Officer in the Telecommunication Systems Maintenance Centre of the Italian Army in 2001. He is currently finishing the PhD course in Remote Sensing at the University of Rome La Sapienza. His main research activities are in Space-Time Adaptive Processing (STAP) techniques for airborne radars, multi-channel SAR image processing, non-Gaussian clutter and target modeling, CFAR techniques and advanced polarimetric radar detection techniques. Mr. Sciotti is currently involved in several research projects on radar sounding instruments for archaeological investigations (Ground Penetrating Radar) and for space exploration missions (sounding of the Mars planet).

Dr. Pierfrancesco Lombardo - INFOCOM Dpt., University of Rome La Sapienza

Dr. Pierfrancesco Lombardo graduated in Electronic Engineering in 1991 and received the Ph.D. degree in 1995, both from the University of Rome ?La Sapienza?. In 1994 Dr. Lombardo was research associate at the University of Birmingham (UK), while in the SAR team of the Defense Research Agency in Malvern (UK). Dr. Lombardo was involved in research on space-time adaptive processing for AEW at Syracuse University (NY-USA), where he was research associate in 1996. In June 1996 he joined the University of Rome ?La Sapienza?, where he is Associate Professor since 1998. Dr. Lombardo is involved in research projects funded by the Italian Space Agency on multiparametric SAR image processing, and in projects on advanced radar detection, data fusion and radiolocalization. He is also Co-Investigator of the radar sounding instruments for the space exploration missions Rosetta (ESA/ASI) and Mars Express (ASI/NASA). Dr. Lombardo?s research has been reported in over hundred publications in international technical journals and conferences. He served in the paper selection committee of the IEEE Radar Conference 2001 (Atlanta,GA) and as Technical Chairman of the IEEE/ISPRS Joint Workshop on Remote Sensing and Data Fusion over Urban Areas (Rome 2001). Dr. Lombardo is Associate Editor for Radar Systems for the IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems. He is also recipient of the 2001 Barry Carlton Award for the best paper published in the IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems.