Method and apparatus for processing SAR images based on an anisotropic diffusion filtering algorithm

[0047]The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

[0048]Referring initially to FIG. 1, a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) 50 collects SAR data and a computer-implemented system 60 processes the SAR data. The SAR 50 is carried by an airborne platform 52, such as an aircraft, over an area of interest. The airborne platform 52 could also be space-based.

[0049]The illustrated area of interest is an urban area, such as a city, that includes a number of buildings 54. Also included in the urban area are relatively sma