##
Ship Detection

In SAR images, ships show up as bright objects due to the effect of corner reflection. In RADARSAT fine mode images, some detailed structure of the ships can also be seen. Depending on the ambient and imaging conditions, different types of ship wakes can be observed, e.g., turbulent wakes, Kelvin envelops, transverse waves, internal wave wakes, and narrow-V wakes. As SAR processor assumes targets to be stationary, moving ships are displaced in the azimuth direction from their wakes in SAR imagery. The displacement distance can be used to calculate the speed of the ship.

© ESA 1996 . ERS Image, moving ships in Malacca Strait | © CSA 1996 . RADARSAT Image (Fine Mode), Port of Singapore