Drone-Based Interferometric SAR Using Off-the-Shelf mmWave Radar

Topic Description:

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is a well-established remote sensing technology for high-resolution imaging and terrain mapping. Interferometric SAR (InSAR) enhances this capability by measuring ground displacement and topographical changes with millimeter-level accuracy. Recent advancements in millimetre-wave (mmWave) radar technology, coupled with the increased accessibility and manoeuvrability of drones, offer a promising avenue for affordable and flexible InSAR applications.  Several case studies have demonstrated the feasibility and benefits of drone-based SAR and InSAR systems. For instance, studies have shown successful monitoring of urban infrastructure, landslides, and agricultural fields. These applications highlight the potential of drones to provide timely and accurate data for environmental monitoring, disaster response, and resource management. This thesis explores integrating off-the-shelf mmWave radar systems with drone platforms to develop a cost-effective, portable InSAR solution.

Type of work:

1. Literature Review and Analysis: Review existing literature on drone-based SAR and InSAR applications, focusing on using mmWave radar technology.
2. Algorithm Development: Create algorithms for InSAR data processing tailored to the mmWave radar and drone system specifications.
3. Field Testing and Validation: Conduct field tests to validate the performance of the integrated system and compare the results with traditional ground-based InSAR systems.
4. Performance Evaluation: Assess the system's accuracy, resolution, and operational limitations in various environmental conditions.

Required qualifications:

• Following an MSc in a field related to one or more: Electrical engineering, Computer Science, or Applied Computer Science.
• Experience with image processing, signal processing, and computer vision. Some knowledge of radar concepts is a plus.
• Experience with machine learning and statistics.
• Strong programming skills (Python).
• Interest in developing state-of-the-art Machine Learning methods and conducting experiments.
• Ability to write scientific reports and communicate research results at conferences in English.

Type:

• Master Thesis internship @ imec (6 months)
• Preceded by (optional) summer internship (1-3 months) @ imec

(the summer internship alone is not possible)

Responsible scientist(s): 

Prof. Hichem Sahli (imec/VUB)  hichem.sahli@imec.be 

Dr. Seyed Hamed Javadi (imec) hamed.javadi@imec.be

Supervisor: Piet Wambacq (VUB) 

References

1. Moreira, A., Prats-Iraola, P., Younis, M., Krieger, G., Hajnsek, I., & Papathanassiou, K. P. (2013). A Tutorial on Synthetic Aperture Radar. IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Magazine, 1(1), 6-43.
2. Perissin, D., & Wang, Z. (2012). Time-Series InSAR Applications over Urban Areas in China. IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing, 5(3), 1066-1076.
3. Hem Regmi, et al (2021). SquiggleMilli: Approximating SAR Imaging on Mobile Millimeter-Wave Devices. Proc. ACM Interact. Mob. Wearable Ubiquitous Technol. 5, 3, Article 125. https://doi.org/10.1145/3478113.
4. E. Giusti, S. Ghio and M. Martorella (2023), Drone-based 3DInISAR: Experimental Results, RadarConf23, pp. 1-6, doi: 10.1109/RadarConf2351548.2023.10149656.
5. L. Moreira et al.,(2020) Drone-Borne P-band Single-Pass InSAR, RadarConf20, pp. 1-6, doi: 10.1109/RadarConf2043947.2020.9266502. 
6. D. Luebeck et al. (2020). Drone-borne Differential SAR Interferometry. Remote Sens., 12, 778. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12050778
7. Li, Yadong et al. (2024). A high-resolution handheld millimeter-wave imaging system with phase error estimation and compensation. Communications Engineering, Vol. 4, https://doi.org/10.1038/s44172-023-00156-2 

Type of Project: Combination of internship and thesis 

Master's degree: Master of Engineering Science 

Master program: Electrotechnics/Electrical Engineering; Computer Science 

Duration: 9 months 

For more information or application, please contact Hichem Sahli (hichem.sahli@imec.be) and Hamed Javadi (hamed.javadi@imec.be).

Imec allowance will be provided for students studying at a non-Belgian university.