Target detection based on multiresolution fractal analysis

SAR imaging has been extensively used in several applications including automatic target detection and recognition. In this paper, a wavelet/fractal (WF)-based target detection technique is presented. The technique computes a fractal-based feature on an edge image, as opposed to existing fractal methods that compute the fractal dimension on the original image. The edge image is produced through the use of wavelets. The technique is evaluated for target detection in SAR images, and compared with a previous fractal-based approach, namely the extended fractal (EF) model. Experimental results illustrate that WF provides lower false alarm rates for the same probability of detection compared to EF. Furthermore, it is shown that WF provides higher spatial resolution capabilities for the detection of closely located targets.