Detection and Classification of Sea Surface Signatures Using Synthetic Aperture Radar Imagery
Hosted by IET Bristol
About
Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) has become a key remote sensing modality for maritime surveillance, offering all-weather, day-and-night imaging capabilities. This talk addresses recent advances in the detection and classification of sea surface signatures in SAR imagery, with a particular focus on ships and their associated wake patterns. We begin by examining classical and modern approaches to ship detection, including statistically grounded Constant False Alarm Rate (CFAR) methods and their extension to superpixel-based formulations, which improve robustness in heterogeneous sea clutter. These are complemented by deep learning-based detection frameworks that leverage contextual information to enhance performance in both inshore and offshore environments.
Beyond direct target detection, the talk explores the role of ship wakes as rich physical signatures that can aid in vessel detection and provide insight into motion characteristics such as speed and heading. Inverse problem formulations involving the Radon transform and model-based analysis are discussed alongside recent machine learning approaches for wake detection and exploitation. A key enabler for these developments is the realistic simulation of SAR sea surface imagery, allowing the generation of large-scale annotated datasets for training and evaluation. Finally, the integration of these methodologies into automated pipelines for ship classification is presented, demonstrating how combined analysis of targets and their wakes can support robust maritime situational awareness and large-scale spatio-temporal monitoring.
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Continuing Professional Development
This event can contribute towards your Continuing Professional Development (CPD) hours as part of the IET's CPD monitoring scheme.
13 May 2026
6:30pm - 8:30pm
Reasons to attend
Come and learn about cutting-edge technologies, have some free refreshments, and network with local engineers if you wish.
Programme
Arrival, Networking and Refreshments: 18.30
Presentation: 19:00 – 20:00
Networking: 20:00 - 20:30