SAR Image Processing Using Artificial Intelligence Planning

In recent times, improvements in imaging technology have made available an incredible array of information in image format. While powerful and sophisticated image processing software tools are available to prepare and analyze the data, these tools are complex and cumbersome, requiring significant expertise to properly operate. Thus, in order to extract (e.g., mine or analyze) useful information from the data, a user (in our case a scientist) often must possess both significant science and image processing expertise. This paper describes the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) planning techniques to represent scientific, image processing, and software tool knowledge to automate elements of science data preparation and analysis of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery for planetary geology. In particular, we describe the Automated SAR Image Processing system (ASIP) which is currently in use by the Department of Geology at Arizona State University (ASU) supporting aeolian science analysis of synthetic aperture radar images. ASIP reduces the number of manual inputs in science product generation by 10-fold, decreases the CPU time to produce images by 30%, and allows scientists to directly produce certain science products.