Method of evaluating the image quality of a synthetic aperture radar

A method of evaluating the quality of an image formed by a synthetic aperture radar comprising the steps of:

• placing an active reflector at a location within an area to be detected by the synthetic aperture radar, said active reflector having the capability of receiving an incoming radio wave emitted by the synthetic aperture radar, changing the amplitude, frequency, and delay time of the received radio wave, and transmitting the resultant radio wave as a reflected radio wave, the characteristics of said active reflector being predetermined;
• shifting a position of an image produced by said active reflector in which said active reflector receives an incoming radio wave emitted by said synthetic aperture radar, a characteristic or characteristics of the received radio wave are changed from the original characteristics of the incoming radio wave coming from said synthetic aperture radar, and the resultant radio wave is returned back as a reflected radio wave, thereby shifting the display position of the image of said active reflector from its original display position on a display screen of said synthetic aperture radar;
• and
• evaluating the quality of the image formed by the synthetic aperture radar by quantitatively detecting the ambiguity from the pixel value obtained at said original display position on the display screen at which the image of said active reflector was displayed before it was shifted.