A simple technique to improve the AMSR-E spatial resolution at C-band

Abstract

A simple method for improving the spatial resolution of the spaceborne microwave radiometer AMSR-E was proposed, based on the smoothing filter-based intensity modulation technique (SFIM), which is usually applied so as to enhance the Landsat Thematic Mapper resolution. This method was validated on two test areas characterized by the presence of relatively homogeneous vegetation, with rivers, open waters, urban, and coastlines, namely the Amazon River basin and the Victoria Lake in Africa. Finally, a test on northern Italy was carried out in order to improve the spatial resolution of soil moisture maps obtained at C-band.