Can anyone tell me the difference between a pixel and a resolution cell? Is pixel-size the same as pixel-spacing?
• A: In radar imaging, “resolution” has a very specific meaning. There is “range resolution” (across track) and “azimuth resolution” (along track). These quantities depend on a number of factors, including the wavelength of the radar, the distance to the target, the sampling frequency, the bandwidth, etc. Generally a “single look” radar image will have one pixel per resolution cell, whose dimensions are range res by az res. Most radar images you see published are “multi-look”, in which resolution cells have been averaged into larger pixels to reduce speckle, and (commonly) to create square pixels that reduce distortion effects. The terms pixel size and pixel spacing are equivalent.
