2024 IEEE GRSS IFT-MIRS TC Joint Summer School

Introduction

The Instrumentation and Future Technologies (IFT) and Modeling in Remote Sensing (MIRS) technical committees of the IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society (GRSS) are organizing a joint summer school delving into the exciting world of remote sensing technologies. This program aims to empower the next generation of scientists and engineers by providing them with a comprehensive understanding of cutting-edge advancements and their diverse applications.

Key Highlights

• Expert-led Instruction: Learn from renowned experts in active and passive microwave sensing, as well as optical sensing, and gain insights into the latest research and technological developments.
• Networking Opportunities: Connect with GRSS student members, researchers, and professionals, fostering collaborations and building a strong community.
• Broad Range of Applications: Explore how remote sensing technologies contribute to various fields, including environmental monitoring, resource management, disaster response, and more.
• Open Educational Resources: Access valuable educational materials produced during the summer school, including presentations, tutorials, and datasets, shared via the GRSS Resources Center and YouTube channel.

Event Schedule:

The overall schedule is shown below, details on the lectures are coming soon.

Course Descriptions

Special Lectures:

Talk #1: Signal Processing for Joint Radar-Communications

In this talk, we focus on the recent developments toward integrated sensing and communications (ISAC). We consider a broad definition of coexistence, which covers ISAC, collaborative communications, and sensing with interference. Toward fully realizing the coexistence of the two systems, optimization of resources for both new/futuristic sensing and wireless communications modalities is crucial. These synergistic approaches that exploit the interplay between state sensing and communications are both driving factors and opportunities for many current signal processing and information-theoretic techniques. In addition, a large body of prior works considers colocated ISAC systems while distributed systems remain relatively unexamined. Building on the existing approaches, the tutorial focuses on highlighting emerging scenarios in collaborative and distributed ISAC, particularly at mm-Wave and THz frequencies, highly dynamic vehicular/automotive environments that would benefit from information exchange between the two systems. It presents the architectures and possible methodologies for mutually beneficial distributed co-existence and co-design, including sensor fusion and heterogeneously distributed radar and communications. The tutorial also considers recent developments such as the deployment of intelligent reflecting surfaces (IRS) in ISAC, 5G systems, passive internet-of-things, and ISAC secrecy rate optimization. This tutorial aims to draw the attention of the radar, communications, and signal processing communities toward an emerging area, which can benefit from the cross-fertilization of ideas in distributed systems.

Talk #2: Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces of Communications and Radars

In recent years, reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) have shown promising abilities to control and manipulate electromagnetic (EM) waves through modified surface boundary conditions. These surfaces are electrically thin and comprise an array of spatially varying sub-wavelength scattering elements (or meta-atoms). Through careful engineering of each meta-atom, RISs can transform an incident EM wave into an arbitrarily tailored transmitted or reflected wavefront. Recent developments in RISs have opened exciting new opportunities in antenna design, as well as communications and radar systems. RISs – wherein meta-atoms are embedded with active components – lead to the development of low-cost, lightweight, and compact systems that can produce programmable radiation patterns, jointly perform multi-function communications, and enable advanced radars for next-generation military platforms. This talk will introduce RISs and their various applications in designing simplified communications and radar systems, wherein the RF aperture and transceiver are integrated within the RIS. For example, dynamic reconfiguration of the RIS aperture in a wireless communications transmitter facilitates beam steering, frequency agility, and phase modulation without conventional front-end devices such as phase-shifters, mixers, and switches. We will present our recent work on reconfigurable RIS control, RIS-enabled direct signal modulation, and deep learning-based RIS design. Finally, we will present deploying RIS as a reflector in the wireless channel for aiding non-line-of-sight radar and joint radar-communications.

Special Lecturer Biography: Dr. Kumar Vijay Mishra is a distinguished researcher with a Ph.D. in electrical engineering and an M.S. in mathematics. He has held research appointments at various prestigious institutions, including the United States Army Research Laboratory, Mitsubishi Electric Research Labs, and Qualcomm. Dr. Mishra is a recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the IET Premium Best Paper Prize, IEEE T-AES Outstanding Editor, and U.S. National Academies Harry Diamond Distinguished Fellowship. He is actively involved in the IEEE and URSI communities, serving as chair and vice-chair of various committees. Dr. Mishra’s research interests include radar systems, signal processing, remote sensing, and electromagnetics.

Lecture I: Introduction to Radar Interferometry and Its Applications

Radar interferometry is one of the most powerful remote sensing techniques with applications to such diverse areas as topography measurement, geophysics of the solid earth and cryosphere and to ecosystems. This one-day course will introduce radar interferometry and its applications. We will begin with a brief review of radar and SAR imaging principles followed by the basics of interferometry for both topography measurement and of differential interferometry for measuring surface change and deformation. We will cover interferometric measurement techniques, interferometric phase and correlation, interferometric sensitivity equations for topography and deformation, error sources and limitations of the techniques. Principles and applications will be illustrated with examples from both spaceborne and airborne systems. Finally, advanced concepts such as polarimetric interferometry and tomography will be briefly introduced.

Instuctor Biography: Dr. Scott Hensley, Senior Research Scientist, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Dr. Scott Hensley, Senior Research Scientist, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Scott Hensley received his BS degrees in Mathematics and Physics from the University of California at Irvine and the Ph.D. in Mathematics from Stony Brook University where he specialized in the study of differential geometry. In 1991, Dr. Hensley joined the staff of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory where he is currently a Senior Research Scientist studying advanced radar techniques for geophysical applications. He has worked on the Magellan and Cassini radars, was the GeoSAR Chief Scientist, lead the SRTM Interferometric Processor Development Team, lead a team using GSSR data to generate topographic maps of the moon and was Principal Investigator and is currently the Project Scientist for the NASA UAVSAR program which is an airborne electronically scanned L-band radar designed for repeat pass applications. Most recently he has been very active in developing proposals for exploring the solar system that require radar observations.

Lecture II: Space Based Remote Sensing Missions and Data Products
This lecture provides a comprehensive introduction to the principles and applications of remote sensing from space, focusing on Earth observation missions utilizing electro-optical and infrared (EOIR) sensors in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Participants will gain a foundational understanding of how satellite-based remote sensing systems operate and the critical factors influencing their design, including coverage, latency, and orbital selection. The lecture will also explore strategies for identifying relevant missions and delve into the latest innovations driving advancements in remote sensing technologies. Through real-world examples and case studies, attendees will discover how remote sensing data is revolutionizing various fields, from environmental monitoring and resource management to disaster response and urban planning. By the end of this lecture, participants will possess a solid grasp of the fundamentals of remote sensing and its transformative potential for understanding and managing our planet.

Instructor Biography: Mr. Kevin Romero, Systems Engineer, Northrop Grumman. Kevin Romero is a Systems Engineer specializing in Systems Architecture for Azusa’s Military and Civil Space Advanced Programs organization. He has worked for Northrop Grumman Since 2001, and Aerojet Electrosystems for 14 years before that. He graduated from Linfield College with a B.A. in Physics in 1983 and received a Master Degree in Physics in 1985 from Washington State University. He has a systems engineering and model-based Systems Engineering from California Institute of Technology His past systems work includes flight computer testing, hardware in the loop emulators for the SBIRS program, test systems for DSP, SPOTS, and the development of a secure plug-and-play ground software infrastructure for the 3GIRS program. He was the chief systems architect for several infrared payloads for GEO and Low Earth Orbit, including most recently PIRPL launched in August 2021 to December 2021, a multi-band Infrared program sponsored by NG with communications support from the Space Development Agency. He is an NG Tech Fellow, and a frequent contributor to Northrop’s internal conferences including the NG small sensors symposium, and the Systems Engineering Advisory Group, contributing talks on Innovation, concurrent systems engineering and general methods for finding optimal solutions to challenging engineering problems. His current Advanced Programs responsibilities include the development of new imaging methods for remote sensing for the Civil Space and OPIR business areas. He is a past officer in IEEE Geo Remote Sensing Systems METRO group and vice president of the Southern California chapter of IEST (Institute of environmental science and technology) and has been President of the Optical Society of Southern California in 2020-2021 and 2023-2024.

Lecture III: Physics-Based Computational Models in Microwave Remote Sensing
This lecture explores the powerful role of physics-based computational models, particularly in microwave remote sensing, for monitoring and understanding crucial Earth system variables like soil moisture and carbon content. We’ll delve into the development of retrieval algorithms, starting with passive radiometry and then focusing on active sensors like Polarimetric SAR. The lecture will cover the underlying physics, such as soil dielectric properties and electromagnetic scattering, leading into the ‘inverse models’ that extract bio/geophysical parameters from radar data. Practical examples from the Arctic, where PolSAR data has been used to map soil organic carbon and soil moisture, will illustrate these concepts. Finally, we’ll discuss the exciting synergy between physics-based approaches and AI techniques, highlighting their potential to revolutionize our understanding of Earth’s water and carbon cycles across diverse ecosystems.

Instructor Biography: Mr. Kazem Bakian-Dogaheh holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Tehran, and two M.S. degrees (Electrical Engineering and Astronautical Engineering) from the University of Southern California. Currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at USC, he serves as a Graduate Student Research Assistant at the Microwave Systems, Sensors, and Imaging Laboratory. His research focuses on microwave sensors and modeling techniques to better understand the carbon-water cycle in permafrost soils, contributing to the NASA Arctic Boreal Vulnerability Experiment. His broader interests lie in the intersection of microwave remote sensing, earth system models, innovative radar and microwave imaging, and the application of electromagnetics in medical treatments and monitoring. Throughout his academic career, he has received several accolades including the NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship, IEEE fellowships from the Antenna and Propagation Society, the Ming Hsieh Institute Ph.D. scholarship, and the IEEE GRSS Student Prize Paper Award. He also founded the IEEE GRSS student chapter at USC, recognized with the chapter excellence award. He is an incoming postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Details of other Lectures coming soon.