An algorithm for coastline detection using SAR images

Coastal management requires rapid, up-to-date, and correct information. Thus, coastal movements have primary importance for coastal managers. For monitoring the change of shorelines, remote sensing data are some of the most important information and are utilized for differentiating any detections of change on shorelines. It is possible to monitor coastal changes by extracting the coastline from satellite images. In the literature most of the algorithms developed for optical images have been discussed in detail. In this study, an algorithm which extracts coastlines efficiently and automatically by processing SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite images has been developed. A data set of ALOS Palsar image of Fine Beam Double (FBD) HH-HV polarized data has been used. PALSAR image has L-band data, and has a 14 MHz bandwidth and 34.3 degrees look angle. Data were acquired in ascending geometry. Ground resolution of PALSAR image was resampled to 15m to amplitude image. Zonguldak city, lies on the northwest costs of Turkey, has been selected as the test area. An algorithm was developed for automatic coastline extraction from SAR images. The algorithm is encoded in a C-environment. To verify the results the algorithm was applied on two PALSAR images gathered in two different date as 2007 and 2010. The results of automatic coastline extraction obtained from SAR images were compared to the results derived from manual digitizing. Random control points which are seen on each image were used. The average differences of selected points were calculated.