[ESS] Hamish Mitchell (MIT)

“Constructing Digital Elevation Models from Single Synthetic Aperture Radar Images”

Traditional radar-based methods of generating topography involve complex dual-antenna or formation flying satellite configurations, interferometric processing, and significant specialized expertise and knowledge. We present a novel approach for generating digital elevation models (DEMs) from single Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images using deep learning. By leveraging recent advances in computer vision, we significantly reduce the processing and technical barriers associated with mapping topography and broaden the utility of these techniques beyond the radar community. We compare three model architectures—Dense Prediction Transformer (DPT), Pix2pixHD, and IM2HEIGHT—across a diverse range of global landscapes. Our results show the transformer-based DPT to be the best performing model, effectively interpreting the geometric distortions and textural patterns in SAR imagery to reconstruct multi-scale topography. Additionally, we evaluate three calibration approaches with varying ground truth requirements: global scaling (no ground truth), point calibration, and coarse DEM calibration. The latter shows particular promise by combining fine-scale feature detection with regional accuracy from existing low-resolution elevation models. Despite challenges in resolving the position of topographic boundaries, our approach offers significant advantages in accessibility, processing speed, and flexibility. This technique represents a substantial step forward for generating topography in time-critical humanitarian efforts, disaster response, and applications in data-scarce regions.

Earth Science Seminar —

Lecture portion of the EAPS graduate-level class 12.571, covering current research in geophysics, geology, geochemistry, and geobiology. All members of the MIT community are welcome to join for presentations by guest speakers, held approximately every two weeks during the term.

Contact: earth-science-seminar-info@mit.edu