# Polarimetric SAR - target decomposition
*methodologies*

Decomposes backscatter into scattering mechanisms (surface, double-bounce, volume) using multi-polarisation data; good for forest structure estimation, urban mapping, and soil moisture retrieval.

## Specifications
- **family**: SAR processing
- **requirements envelope**: {"kind":"geometric","gsd_max":10,"repeat_pass_geometry":false,"polarisation_modes":["HH","HV","VH","VV"],"swath_min_km":30}
- **entity type**: methodology
- **last verified date**: 2026-05-22
- **verified by**: sw
- **claim status**: unclaimed
- **attributes**: {"family":"SAR processing","summary":"Decomposes backscatter into scattering mechanisms (surface, double-bounce, volume) using multi-polarisation data; good for forest structure estimation, urban mapping, and soil moisture retrieval.","requirements_envelope":"{\"kind\":\"geometric\",\"gsd_max\":10,\"repeat_pass_geometry\":false,\"polarisation_modes\":[\"HH\",\"HV\",\"VH\",\"VV\"],\"swath_min_km\":30}"}
- **technology**: radar

## Editorial
Uses coherence or covariance matrix decomposition (Pauli, Freeman-Durden, Cloude-Pottier). Requires fully polarimetric (quad-pol) acquisition, which most operational sensors do not acquire by default. [Wikipedia: Synthetic-aperture radar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetic-aperture_radar)

## Sources
- [wikipedia] | Wikipedia: Synthetic-aperture radar | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetic-aperture_radar | tier=community | accessed=2026-05-22

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Source: https://eo-atlas.org/methodologies/polarimetric-sar-decomposition
Maintainer: SpectraWorks B.V. (CC-BY 4.0)