Example of a full processing for

DEM generation using NEST

Andrea Minchella (RSAC c/o ESA-Esrin)

Petar Marinkovic (PPO.Labs)

September 2012

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Contents

• NEST-DORIS overview

• OS & Software

• Main Processing Steps

• Dataset and Results

• Hands-on exercise

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NEST-DORIS Overview

Algorithmic integration of DORIS

(TU Delft Radar Interferometric Software)

• Fully integrated and featured InSAR

processor within NEST

• Coregistration and resampling

• DEM assisted coregistration

• Products: interferogram and coherence

• Filtering: both spectral and phase

• Geo-coding

• Unwrapping via 3rd party sw (SNAPHU)

• DEM product

• Differential InSAR

Only zero doppler and strip map

Available in 4C data are fully supported
Available in 5A-1.0 (Beginning 2013)
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OS and software

1. OS: Windows 7 32 bit

2. NEST version: 4C-1.1
3. Ubuntu 12.04 for running SNAPHU

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Objective

Generation of a DEM over the ETNA Volcano, Sicily (Italy), using

ERS1&2 couple acquired on 1/2 August 1996.

ERS-1 SAR_SLC ORBIT 21159 – DATE 1-AUG-1995

ERS-2 SAR_SLC ORBIT 1486 – DATE 2-AUG-1995

Btemp [days]: -1 (Temporal baseline), Bperp [m]: -66.8 (Perpendicular baseline)

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Main Processing Steps

The exercise will be done using the NEST DAT (the interface) and consist
mainly in:
1. Open and inspect the ERS Complex products;
2. Baseline evaluation using the InSAR Stack Operator;
3. Create a project;
4. Subset the products;
5. APPLY Precise (Delft) Orbits;
6. Co-registration of Subsets;
7. Flattened Interferogram generation;
8. Coherence computation;
9. Comparison interferogram vs coherence;
10. Interferogram Phase filtering;
11. Multilooking of filtered phase;
12. Phase unwrapping of filtered phase via Snaphu;
13. Phase to height conversion;
14.Geocoding of height;
15. Export to Google Earth

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Dataset and Results

The original data and full processing results (project) are freely
available at:

SFTP (port 22): nestbox.esrin.esa.int

Username: nestuser
Password: password

Folder: DATA/ETNA-ERS

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 Exercise folders framework

Default exercise folders framework

E:\ETNA-ERS

The outputs of the exercise will be stored here

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 NEST DAT

Double click on NEST icon for launching NEST

DAT
(Display and Analysis
Tool)

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Open the ERS Complex products

To open the data in the Products View few ways

are available: Readers, Product Library, Open
Raster product.
Another one is to drag the product directly from
the folder where data is located.

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Inspect the product

• Identification: Basic information on the product (Mission,

Product type, Acquisition time, Pass, Track and Orbit)

• Metadata: This includes all the original metadata within the

product, the Abstracted Metadata which is the important
metadata fields used by the Operators in a common format and
the Processing graph history recording the processing that was
done

• Tie Point Grids: Raster grids created from interpolating the tie-
points information within the product. The interpolation is done
on the fly according to the product.

• Bands: The actual bands inside the product and virtual bands
created by NEST from expressions. Different icons are used to
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distinguish these bands.
View the bands product

Double click on the band name to view it.

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Baseline evaluation using the InSAR
Stack Operator

1. Click on Add Opened

2. Click on Overview

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 Create a project

Why create a project

1. A Project will help organize your data by storing all related work in one folder.

2. The project folders mirror the file structure of the physical hard disk. Therefore any
change you make to the physical project folders on disk will be reflected in your
project.

To create a project, select New Project from the

File menu.

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 Create a project (cont.)

A dialog will prompt you for a project folder location and project file
name.
1. Save in E:\ETNA-ERS\Output

2. Click on Save

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Create a project (cont.)

Looking at the hard disk

The created project is listed in the Projects View

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 Subset the products

Creation of a new folder

within the project to store the
subset products which will be
created

1. Mouse Right Click on the Processed

Products folder
2. Select Create Folder
3. Write in New Folder window the name
Subset Product
4. OK

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 Subset ERS 1 image

1. View (double click) the intensity band

2. Utilities  Create Subset From View
3. Edit the Pixel coordinates
4. Ok

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Subset ERS 1 image (cont.)

Save in BEAM DIMAP format

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Subset ERS 2 image: alternative way

1. File  Create Subset

2. Select Subset option
3. Define Subset
4. Edit the Pixel coordinates
5. Ok
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Subset ERS 2 image (cont.)

Save in BEAM DIMAP format

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 Apply Precise (Delft) Orbits

The orbit file provides accurate satellite position and velocity information.

Creation of a new folder within the

project to store the products with
Delft orbits applied.

1. Mouse Right Click on the Processed

Products folder
2. Select Create Folder
3. Write in New Folder window the name
Delft Orbit Products
4. OK

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The Settings window

• NEST is able to download automatically few auxiliary

data like the STRM v.4 (3” tiles) (JRC FTP
(xftp.jrc.it)), Delft and ESA orbits.

• Auxiliary data downloaded into default folders

according to the Settings Windows

• Internet is required! And The firewall

must allow that.

• If your Internet settings are preventing the

downloading, you still can download by yourself the
DEM tiles and/orbits and put these manually in the
NEST Settings Window directories.

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 The Test Connectivity

In the HELP tab there is a “Test Connectivity” capability to check if the

connection works well.
Sometime even if Connection testing is successful, PC settings could
prevent the downloading.

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Apply Precise (Delft) Orbits

1. Utilities  Apply Orbit file

2. I/O Parameters: subset_ERS1
3. Select as Output directory Delft Orbit Products
4. Processing Parameters: Delft Precise Vor
5. Run

3. Select the output folder “Delft Orbit Products”

A convenient way to select the output folder is to drag the
folder name from the project view

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Apply Precise (Delft) Orbits

1. Utilities  Apply Orbit file

2. I/O Parameters: subset_ERS2
3. Select as Output directory Delft Orbit Products
4. Processing Parameters: Delft Precise Vor
5. Run

3. Select the output folder “Delft Orbit Products”

A convenient way to select the output folder is to drag the
folder name from the project view

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Apply Precise (Delft) Orbits

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 Coregistration of Subsets_Orb

1. Drag and drop the Orb.dim products

from Project View to ProductSet-Reader window

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Coregistration: parameters

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 Coregistration: parameters

• Select as target directory

“Coregistered Products”
A convenient way to select the folder is to
drag the folder name from the project view

• Click Process
Check this flag to display the residuals

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The residual.txt file within ../.nest/log

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Display the GCP Movement Vector on
slave image

1. Display (double click) the Intensity_slv1_02Aug1995

2. From Layer Manager click on + button

3. Select GCP Movement Vector

4. Click “Finish”

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Display the GCP Movement Vector on
slave image

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 Coregistered data: Overlay Master and
slave

1. From Layer Manager click on + button

2. Select Image of Band / Tie point Grid

3. Click Next

4. Select Intensity_mst_01Aug1995

5. Click Finish

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Coregistered data: Overlay Master
and slave

Play with the Transparency capability

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RGB visualization

To improve the visualisation sometimes it is

helpful convert from linear to db scale the
(mst & slv) Intensity bands.
Right Click over the image band name

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RGB visualization

1. View  Open RGB Image View

2. Select the bands
3. Click OK

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RGB visualization

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 Interferogram generation (Flattened)

Creation of a new folder within the

project to store the InSAR products

1. Mouse Right Click on the Processed

Products folder
2. Select Create Folder
3. Write in New Folder window the name
InSAR Products
4. OK

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Interferogram generation (Flattened)

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Interferogram generation (Flattened)

If this flag is checked flat earth

phase is not removed

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Interferogram generation (Flattened)

• Select as target directory

“InSAR Products”
A convenient way to select the folder is to drag
the folder name from the project view

• Click Process

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Visualisation of flattened Interferogram

Double click
on Phase_ifg_spr

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 Visualisation of flattened Interferogram

Change Look Up Table (LUT)

1. Click to Colour manipulation

2. Import a Colour palette  Open

3. Click Apply
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Visualisation of flattened Interferogram

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Coherence estimation

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Coherence estimation

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Coherence estimation

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Coherence estimation

To open double left click

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 Interf. Phase vs coherence

1. Keep opened Interferogram phase [8] and coherence [9]

2. From Window  Click on Tile Horizontally

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Interf. Phase vs coherence

3. Click here to link the viewers

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(interferogram) Phase filtering

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(interferogram) Phase filtering

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Display filtered (inteferogram) phase

To open double left click

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 Display filtered (inteferogram) phase

Change Look Up Table (LUT)

1. Click to Colour manipulation

2. Import a Colour palette  Open

3. Click Apply
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Display filtered (inteferogram) phase

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Interf. Phase vs filtered Phase

1. Keep opened Interferogram phase [8] and filtered phase [10]

2. From Window  Click on Tile Horizontally

3. Click here to link the viewers

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Multilooking (2;10) for filtered phase

• Only i and q bands have to be selected.

• The phase has to be then reconstructed using
the Band Maths Operator.
• The (-π, + π ] phase range is then preserved.

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Reconstruct the phase after Multilooking
by using the Band Maths Op

1. Utility  Band Maths Op

2. Select Target product

3. Name: write in phase

4. Uncheck Virtual option

5. Click to Edit Expression

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Reconstruct the phase after Multilooking by
using the Band Maths Op

1. Write the expression

2. Click OK

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Display ML filtered phase

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 Display ML filtered phase

Change Look Up Table (LUT)

1. Click to Colour manipulation

2. Import a Colour palette  Open

3. Click Apply
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Display ML filtered phase

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Save (permanently) ML filtered phase

To save in a permanent way the

phase band, it is required to save
the product

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Phase Unwrapping

The Phase unwrapping functionality is not implemented in NEST.

Dedicated phase unwrapping modules for NEST are in the development
process and are expected to be released beginning 2013.

3rd party software for Phase Unwrapping: SNAPHU (Statistical-Cost, Network-

Flow Algorithm for Phase Unwrapping)

1. Free download from SNAPHU project web-page

2. Only UNIX, LINUX, MAC OS environments

3. User is expected to download and install SNAPHU

Integration between NEST and SNAPHU

NEST offers a set of tools for exporting and importing data to/from SNAPHU:

• SNAPHU export

• SNAPHU import

For further information please refer to the NEST HELP

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 Phase Unwrapping

Creation of a new folder within the

project for handling phase
unwrapping products

1. Mouse Right Click on the Processed

Products folder
2. Select Create Folder
3. Write in New Folder window the name
Snaphu-Unwrapping
4. OK

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SNAPHU export Graph

 Two purpose graph:

− To export data for snaphu and to
create Snaphu configuration file
− To prepare a container phase
product that serves for ingesting
unwrapped data back to NEST

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SNAPHU export Graph: parameters

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SNAPHU export Graph: parameters

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SNAPHU export Graph: parameters

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SNAPHU export Graph: parameters

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SNAPHU export Graph: parameters

1. Write in the name field

2. Select as target directory “InSAR Products”
A convenient way to select the folder is to drag the folder
name from the project view

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SNAPHU export Graph: parameters

1. Write in the name field

2. Select as target directory
“Snaphu-Unwrapping”
A convenient way to select the folder is to drag the folder
name from the project view

3. Click Process

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SNAPHU export result

Wrapped_phase_interf_srp_filt.dim

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Use of Snaphu under Linux – Ubuntu 12.04

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Use of Snaphu under Linux – Ubuntu 12.04

Location of myProject under Linux

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Use of Snaphu under Linux – Ubuntu 12.04

Click this folder

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Use of Snaphu under Linux – Ubuntu 12.04

Click this folder

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Use of Snaphu under Linux – Ubuntu 12.04

Open the
snaphu.conf

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Snaphu Configuration file

The unwrapped output file will be

written in the same folder:
\media\..\Wrapped_phase_snaphu

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Snaphu under Linux – Ubuntu 12.04

If Snaphu is properly installed this is what

is displayed

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 Running Snaphu

1. Cd to \media\…\myProject\Processed Products\Snaphu-Unwrapping\Wrapped_phase_snaphu

2. Execute snaphu -f snaphu.conf Phase_ifg_filt_01Aug1995_02Aug1995.img 2400

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Back to Windows

Unwrapped Interferogram generated by Snaphu

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Import the unwrapped phase
generated by Snaphu

1. Read the image information from .hdr file

1. File  Readers 

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Import the unwrapped phase
generated by Snaphu

2. Use the Generic Binary reader

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Import the unwrapped phase
generated by Snaphu

3. Provide image information

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Import the unwrapped phase
generated by SnaphuDisplay ML
filtered phase

4. Save (convert) in BEAM-DIMAP format

This step is necessary to then use the SNAPHU

import tool

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 Import the unwrapped phase
generated by SnaphuDisplay filtered
phase

Output from Snaphu Export Tool

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Import the unwrapped phase
generated by SnaphuDisplay filtered
phase

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Import the unwrapped phase
generated by SnaphuDisplay filtered
phase

1. Write in the name field

2. Select as target directory “InSAR Products”
A convenient way to select the folder is to drag the folder
name from the project view

3. Process
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Import the unwrapped phase
generated by Snaphu

Now the unwrapped interferogram is

fully ingested and ready to be used
further in NEST.

It is important to underline that the

quality of unwrapped phase will
affects the further product NEST is
capable to generate like DEM.

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View the unwrapped phase

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 View the unwrapped phase

Change Look Up Table (LUT)

1. Click to Colour manipulation

2. Import a Colour palette  Open

3. Click Apply
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View the unwrapped phase

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From phase to (relative) height

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From phase to (relative) height

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View the (relative) height

The geometry is still the SAR geometry

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Geocoding (RD terrain correction) of
relative height

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Export to Google Earth

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Export to Google Earth

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