Microwave Tomography for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Radar Imaging: State of the Art and Perspectives

This chapter deals with microwave tomography as a flexible tool to image surface/subsurface targets from radar data collected by using unmanned aerial vehicles. Specifically, it is shown that microwave tomography allows modelling in a relatively simple way the radar signal propagation in homogenous or inhomogeneous media as well as handling arbitrary measurement modalities and radar antenna configurations. Signal processing strategies capable of accounting for the platform positions as estimated by differential global navigation satellite systems and designed to manage data collected along single or multiple lines are also considered. Experimental examples regarding single track data are presented as a proof of concept assessing the capability to image surface and subsurface targets.