ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses on one of the main themes of the book: spatial analysis techniques. It investigates on the question of how, from the random field generated by radar backscattered radiation, one can derive information over the spatial arrangement of the forest canopy. The chapter reviews reviewing some key points of synthetic aperture radars backscatter one-point and two-point statistics. These concepts will allow us gradually to set the ground for understanding the connection between the layout in space of the forest structure and the statistical properties of the random field provided by backscatter. It also provides information on discontinuities (edges, point targets) and their characterization through concepts taken from mathematical analysis. The chapter also encounters objects, sets up measures of their sizes and shapes, and introduces the notion of temporal change, aimed at characterizing the forest’s dynamic evolution.
