Spiking Neural Networks for SAR Interferometric Phase Unwrapping: A Theoretical Framework for Energy-Efficient Processing

Fuente: arXiv
Salvato in:
Dettagli Bibliografici
Autore principale: Bara, Marc
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2025
Soggetti:
Accesso online:
Tags: Aggiungi Tag
Nessun Tag, puoi essere il primo ad aggiungerne!!
_version_ 1866909660186935296
author Bara, Marc
author_facet Bara, Marc
contents We present the first theoretical framework for applying spiking neural networks (SNNs) to synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometric phase unwrapping. Despite extensive research in both domains, our comprehensive literature review confirms that SNNs have never been applied to phase unwrapping, representing a significant gap in current methodologies. As Earth observation data volumes continue to grow exponentially (with missions like NISAR expected to generate 100PB in two years) energy-efficient processing becomes critical for sustainable data center operations. SNNs, with their event-driven computation model, offer potential energy savings of 30-100x compared to conventional approaches while maintaining comparable accuracy. We develop spike encoding schemes specifically designed for wrapped phase data, propose SNN architectures that leverage the spatial propagation nature of phase unwrapping, and provide theoretical analysis of computational complexity and convergence properties. Our framework demonstrates how the temporal dynamics inherent in SNNs can naturally model the spatial continuity constraints fundamental to phase unwrapping. This work opens a new research direction at the intersection of neuromorphic computing and SAR interferometry, offering a complementary approach to existing algorithms that could enable more sustainable large-scale InSAR processing.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2506_20782
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Spiking Neural Networks for SAR Interferometric Phase Unwrapping: A Theoretical Framework for Energy-Efficient Processing
Bara, Marc
Neural and Evolutionary Computing
Emerging Technologies
Machine Learning
Signal Processing
68T07, 94A08
I.2.6; G.1.6; B.7.1
We present the first theoretical framework for applying spiking neural networks (SNNs) to synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometric phase unwrapping. Despite extensive research in both domains, our comprehensive literature review confirms that SNNs have never been applied to phase unwrapping, representing a significant gap in current methodologies. As Earth observation data volumes continue to grow exponentially (with missions like NISAR expected to generate 100PB in two years) energy-efficient processing becomes critical for sustainable data center operations. SNNs, with their event-driven computation model, offer potential energy savings of 30-100x compared to conventional approaches while maintaining comparable accuracy. We develop spike encoding schemes specifically designed for wrapped phase data, propose SNN architectures that leverage the spatial propagation nature of phase unwrapping, and provide theoretical analysis of computational complexity and convergence properties. Our framework demonstrates how the temporal dynamics inherent in SNNs can naturally model the spatial continuity constraints fundamental to phase unwrapping. This work opens a new research direction at the intersection of neuromorphic computing and SAR interferometry, offering a complementary approach to existing algorithms that could enable more sustainable large-scale InSAR processing.
title Spiking Neural Networks for SAR Interferometric Phase Unwrapping: A Theoretical Framework for Energy-Efficient Processing
topic Neural and Evolutionary Computing
Emerging Technologies
Machine Learning
Signal Processing
68T07, 94A08
I.2.6; G.1.6; B.7.1
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.20782