Airborne laser altimetry and interferometric SAR measurements of canopy structure and sub-canopy topography in the Pacific northwest

Abstract

The proposed TOPSAT global topography mission, currently under consideration by NASA and the Italian Space Agency, combines InSAR and laser altimeter instruments in order to produce a high-resolution, digital topographic database for the Earth's land surfaces (1). The results presented demonstrate significant potential for altimeter-calibrated InSAR measurement of elevations and canopy heights over vegetated landscapes, as could be provided by the TOPSAT mission.<>