The Urban Footprint Processor - concept and implementation of a processing chain within the TanDEM-X mission

The TanDEM-X (TerraSAR-X add-on for Digital Elevation Measurements) mission acquires two complete coverages of the earth's surface of the years 2011 and 2012 to generate a global digital elevation model (DEM). This unique dataset, acquired in the context of the TanDEM-X mission, provides new possibilities for additional analyses, such as the mapping of human settlements. Therefore, the Urban Footprint Processor (UFP) is developed at DLR to generate a global map of human settlements based on TanDEM-X data from 2011 and 2012. This paper focuses on the technical concept of the UFP processing system and its implementation.