Flexible Dynamic Block Adaptive Quantization for Sentinel-1 SAR Missions

The letter introduces a novel quantizer suited for medium to high-resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems, like the forthcoming SENTINEL-1 SAR. The Flexible Dynamic Block Adaptive Quantization (FDBAQ) extends the concept of the Block Adaptive Quantization (BAQ), used in spaceborne SAR since the Magellan mission, by adaptively tuning the quantizer rate according to the local signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR). A design is presented aiming to optimize the average bit-rate, while constraining the minimum SNR. FDBAQ optimized performance is then evaluated using backscatter maps derived from ENVIronment SATellite (ENVISAT) data.