Improved Ship Target Detection Accuracy in SAR Image Based on Modified CFAR Algorithm

A novel algorithm for the detection of ship target with high accuracy in the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) with high spatial resolution image is proposed. The SAR image may include not only the ship targets but also the interferences such as the sea clutter, the strong reflection target, the sidelobe and so on. The conventional constant false alarm rate (CFAR) algorithm has some disadvantages, and it has not enough prior information about the size of the ships. Hence, it cannot separate the adjacent ships correctly. A comprehensive algorithm based on the modified CFAR algorithm and opening operation is presented to solve the problem, and the detection accuracy can be improved consequently. The results of SAR image illustrate the effectiveness of the method in this paper.