The Cramer-Rao Bound and the Optimal Parameters

Estimation Method of Internal Waves in SAR

Images
Xiaoqing Wang1,2 , Peng Wang1,2,3 , Jinsong Chong1,2
1
Institute of Electronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IECAS)
No.19, North 4th Ring Road West, Haidian District, Beijing 100190, P.R.China
2
Science and Technology on Microwave Imaging Laboratory
3
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
Email: wangpeng213@mails.ucas.ac.cn

AbstractParameters estimation of internal waves is one of
the most important applications of oceanic synthetic aperture
radar (SAR) images. Several methods are widely applied to
estimate internal waves parameters such as wavelet analysis
method, curve tting method and empirical mode decomposition
(EMD) method. Most of these methods suppose the signals
processed are affected by the additive random noise. However,
the multiplicative noise model of SAR images is not applied
to these methods. The result is that these methods could not
reach the Cramer-Rao bound (CRB). This paper assumes that
SAR images are affected by speckle noise, and take the speckle
signal described by a gamma distribution as an example. In this
model, this paper derives the CRB for internal waves parameters
estimation. Based on the multiplicative noise model and the CRB,
this paper proposes an optimal parameters estimation method of
internal waves, and the results could reach the CRB. The real
image experiments can prove that the proposed method is more
accurate and effective than other methods.
Index TermsParameters estimation, internal waves, SAR
images, Cramer-Rao bound.
I. I NTRODUCTION
In the eld of parameters estimation, Cramer-Rao bound
(CRB) is one of the most important criterions for parameter
evaluation. Under given conditions, CRB is usually applied
to unbiased estimator of unknown parameters to derive the
lower bound of their variances. It places a benchmark against
which we can compare the performance of any unbiased
estimator. Therefore, in many areas such as radar, sonar,
wireless communication and satellite positioning, CRB has a
wide application in the performance evaluation of parameters
estimation. In the area of parameters estimation in synthetic
aperture radar (SAR) data, CRB is also applied to determine
the accuracy of the estimated parameters, such as Doppler fre-
quency estimation [1], coherent shift estimation [2], evaluation
of texture extraction from SAR images [3], vegetation height
estimation [4] and so on.
Parameters estimation of internal waves is one of the
most important applications of oceanic SAR images. Several
methods are widely applied to estimate internal waves param-
eters such as curve tting [5], empirical mode decomposition
(EMD) [6] and wavelet analysis [7]. Most of these methods are
based on the signals affected by the uncorrelated and additive
random noise. However, the multiplicative noise model of SAR
images is not applied to these methods. The result is that these
methods could not reach the CRB. Therefore, these methods
could not ensure the precision and the effectiveness of the
internal waves parameters estimation, which restricts the study
and application of internal waves.
This paper assumes that SAR images are affected by speckle
noise, and take the speckle signal described by a gamma
distribution as an example. In this model, this paper derives
the CRB for internal waves parameters estimation and the
conditions of reaching the CRB. Based on the multiplicative
noise model and the CRB, this paper proposes an optimal
parameters estimation method of internal waves, and the
results can reach the CRB through numerical iteration. In order
to conrm the accuracy of the results, this paper takes the
internal waves wavelength and location as an example of the
internal waves parameters, and takes the experiments of all
methods mentioned.
II. T HE C RAM ER -R AO B OUND AND THE O PTIMAL
PARAMETERS E STIMATION M ETHOD OF I NTERNAL WAVES
IN SAR I MAGES
Internal wave is a kind of nonlinear waves which happens in
the inner ocean. The backscattering intensity of internal wave
was described in [5] by
   
x xc x xc
Is = I0 Bsech2 tanh + I0 (1)
where I0 is average intensity of background, B is amplitude of
internal wave intensity in SAR images, xc is central location
and is wavelength of internal wave.
The primary parameters of internal wave to be estimated are
xc and . Supposing the SAR image was effected by speckle
noise described by a gamma distribution, the probability
distribution function (p.d.f) of SAR image is as follow, which

978-1-4673-7297-8/15/$31.00 2015
c IEEE 696
can be seen in literature [8], [9].
  2
 L   n
1 L
2
ln P L Ii

P (yi |) =   yiL1 E = 3 (xi xc ) (10)
(L) Is xi x c xc i=1 Ii2

  (2)
Lyi The conditions of reaching the CRB for parameter estima-
exp  xi xc 
Is tion of internal wave is as follows

where L is the look number of SAR image,  = (xc , )T is

=  G1 ()
 g()
 (11)
the parameters to be estimated, Is (xi ) is scattering intensity
of internal wave in location xi . In order to facilitate writing, where
we simplify equation(2) as follows
   
xi x c 2 ln P 2 ln P

Pi = P (yi |), Ii = Is (3)  =
G() x2c xc
(12)
2 ln P 2 ln P
xc 2
Suppose the SAR signal of internal wave prole in each
 ln P

location is independent and identical distribution. Therefore,
 =
g() xc (13)
the joint p.d.f of sequence of internal wave prole can be ln P

dened by
 n n  L   It is hard to solve the (11), we use numerical iteration to get
1 L L1 Lyi the approximate solution
P = yi exp (4)
(L) i=1
Ii Ii

where y = (y1 , y2 , , yn ) is the SAR signal sequence of k+1 = k G1

k gk (14)
internal wave prole, n is the number of points in sequence.
We can obtain the log-likehood function of joint p.d.f where k , gk , and Gk is the k th step iteration result of , g(),
and G().
n  
yi The solving steps of numerical iteration method are as
ln P = L ln Ii + + S (y)
i=1
Ii follows

xn  (5)
L y (a) Choose 0 as the initial value of parameter , and set the
= ln I + dx + S (y) iterative termination condition  ;
x x1 I
(b) Calculate the vector of rst-order differential gk =
n
f (k ). If gk   , stop the process and output the
S (y) = (L 1) ln yi + n (L ln L ln (L)) (6) result of estimated parameter = k . If not, continue to
i=1 the next step;
where x is sampling interval. (c) Calculate the matrix of second-order differential Gk =
As an important criterion for parameter evaluation, CRB of 2 f (k ) and calculate the iteration increment dk by
random vector is described in literature [10], [11], [12]. The solving linear equations
CRB of xc , in this paper can be obtained
2  Gk dk = gk (15)
E ln2P
xc 2  
2 
2
 (d) Calculate next point through k and dk
E xln2P E ln2P E 2 xln c
P

c
2  (7)
E x2 ln P k+1 = k + dk (16)
2   c
 
2 ln P 2
E x2 E 2 E 2 xln
ln P
c
P

According to (11), we can obtain the estimate error
c

where from the second differentiation of (5) we can get the  = G1 ()g() (17)
mathematical expectation
  2 It can be justied by (12) that G is a symmetric matrix, so
 2
 n
Ii the error matrix can be obtain
ln P L
E = 2 (8)
x2c i=1 Ii2
  
  2 xc xc
 2  = = E ( ) ( )T (18)
n
Ii xc
ln P L 2
E = 4 (xi xc ) (9)
2 i=1 Ii2 Together with (12), (13) and (18), enables us to state the error

2015 IEEE 5th Asia-Pacific Conference on Synthetic Aperture Radar(APSAR) 697

 1
Intensity Data
Estimated Curve
0.9

0.8

0.7

Normalized SAR Signal

0.6

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0
0 100 200 300 400 500
Location, x (pixel)

Fig. 2. Result of parameter estimation of normalized SAR signal curve of

the internal wave
Fig. 1. ERS-2 SAR image of South China Sea
TABLE I
C ONTRAST OF R EAL I MAGE E XPERIMENTS R ESULTS

2  Methods Variances of Wavelength

E ln2P Wavelet Analysis 12.05
xc = 2  
2 
2
 EMD 10.31
E xln2P E ln2P E 2 xln
c
P
Curve Fitting 6.37
c
2  (19)
E xln2P Proposed Method 1.41
= 2  
2
c

2

E xln2P E ln2P E 2 xln
c
P

c
indirect way in this paper. In a little eld of internal wave,
To compare (19) with (7), we could know that the proposed
the wavelength of internal wave is looked up as basically
method is optimal, for the variances of the parameters esti-
stable. So taking several proles in a little eld of Fig. 1,
mated by this method can reach the CRB.
the estimated results of internal wave wavelength should be
An optimal parameters estimation method of internal waves
similar. Contrasting the estimated results of different methods,
is derived in this paper, with the SAR images described by
the method with least variance of wavelength could be judged
gamma distribution. And this method is applicable to the situ-
as the optimal method. Results are shown in Table I.
ation of other distributions (for example, K distribution [13]).
From Table I we can see that the average square errors of
We should just change the probability distribution function P
parameters using wavelet analysis method and EMD method
so as to get the similar result.
are larger. Because wavelet analysis method and EMD method
III. R EAL I MAGE E XPERIMENTS OF PARAMETERS belong to empirical model. In practice, they are to determine
E STIMATION OF I NTERNAL WAVES the locations of positive peaks and negative peaks on the curve
In order to conrm the validity of the method, the real image of an internal wave. And the wavelength and location of an
experiments will be made as follows. This paper takes the real internal wave can be determined when the peaks are measured
image experiments of wavelet analysis method, curve tting on the SAR image. However, the SAR image is effected
method, EMD method and the proposed method, and compares by the strong speckle noise. Wavelet analysis method has a
the performance of these methods. disadvantage of down sampling when denoising the speckle,
The SAR image used in this study is taken from ERS-2 SAR so the estimated parameters are larger obviously. EMD method
satellite (see Fig. 1). It was acquired on May 11, 1998, which has randomness when determining the level of internal wave,
covers the South China Sea. We take a data line from Fig. 1, so the method has a worse robustness.
and get the transect prole along the internal wave travelling Although curve tting method is one of the optimal linear
direction in the SAR image. The prole is SAR signal curve regression methods, this method supposes the signals pro-
of internal wave, from which we can estimate the parameters cessed are affected by the additive random noise, which does
of internal wave. not match the multiplicative noise model of SAR images.
Normalizing the SAR signal curve with the peak value of The result of this method could not reach the CRB. The
the curve, we obtain a normalized SAR signal curve of the model of noise effects not only the estimated accuracy but
internal wave. Estimating the parameters of internal wave with also the convergence speed. The convergence speed of method
the proposed method, the result is shown in Fig. 2. proposed in this paper is faster.
Lacking of the contrast of measured data, it is difcult Results of real image experiments veried the conclusion
to validate the accuracy of the result directly. We use an that the proposed method is more accurate and effective

698 2015 IEEE 5th Asia-Pacific Conference on Synthetic Aperture Radar(APSAR)

than the other methods. And the proposed method is an
optimal parameters estimation method of internal waves in
SAR images, which is validated by theoretical derivation and
real image experiments.
IV. C ONCLUSION
Parameters estimation of internal waves is one of the most
important applications of oceanic SAR images. Several meth-
ods are widely applied to estimate internal waves parameters.
However, the multiplicative noise model of SAR images is
not applied to these methods, and there is no consideration
of the optimum. The result is that these methods could not
reach the CRB. This paper derives the CRB for internal waves
parameters estimation, and proposes an optimal parameter
estimation method of internal waves, the results can reach the
CRB. The real image experiments can prove that the proposed
method is more accurate and effective than the other methods.
In addition, the method proposed in this paper can also be
used to estimate parameters of other SAR distributed targets.
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2015 IEEE 5th Asia-Pacific Conference on Synthetic Aperture Radar(APSAR) 699