AN ANALYSIS OF SETTL EMENT DEI EOT ABILI! Y IN CENTRAL EUROPE 
USING SIR-B RADAR IMAGERY 
Dr. Floyd M. Henderson 
Geographic Information System and Remote Sensing Laboratory 
Department of Geography and Planning 
State University of New York at Albany 
Albany, New York 12222 
USA 
518-442-4647 
ABSTRACT 
An understanding of the consistencies and changes in settlement detection ability 
related to radar system and environmental parameters is of potential interest to 
applications oriented users as well as to those interested in improving our understanding of 
basic system-target interactions. Previous efforts in radar settlement detection have 
contributed to an eclectic collection of data, but few studies have been able to employ 
multiple images of the same area. In this experiment, L-band, like-polarized SIR-B radar 
imagery of southern Germany and northeastern France are examined. Three data takes at 
three different incidence angles and two different look directions covering some 20,D00 
square kilometers comprised the study area. Two analyses were performed: one of the 
entire imaged areas, and one limited to similar terrain conditions to focus on look 
direction effects. Errors of omission and commission were calculated and accuracies 
tabulated for both tests. Results indicated that steep incidence angles were of minimal 
utility, generating the highest omission and commission errors. Accuracy improved as 
incidence angle increased, up to a point, and then decreased. The results obtained over 
mixed terrain were not in accord with those obtained over similar terrain.