Rapid Spectral Cloud Screening Onboard Aircraft and Spacecraft | IEEE Journals & Magazine | IEEE Xplore

Rapid Spectral Cloud Screening Onboard Aircraft and Spacecraft


Abstract:

Next-generation orbital imaging spectrometers will generate unprecedented data volumes, demanding new methods to optimize storage and communication resources. Here, we de...Show More

Abstract:

Next-generation orbital imaging spectrometers will generate unprecedented data volumes, demanding new methods to optimize storage and communication resources. Here, we demonstrate that onboard analysis can excise cloud-contaminated scenes, reducing data volumes while preserving science return. We calculate optimal cloud-screening parameters in advance, exploiting stable radiometric calibration and foreknowledge of illumination and viewing geometry. Channel thresholds expressed in raw instrument values can be then uploaded to the sensor where they execute in real time at gigabit-per-second (Gb/s) data rates. We present a decision theoretic method for setting these instrument parameters and characterize performance using a continuous three-year image archive from the “classic” Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS-C). We then simulate the system onboard the International Space Station, where it provides factor-of-two improvements in data volume with negligible false positives. Finally, we describe a real-time demonstration onboard the AVIRIS Next Generation (AVIRIS-NG) flight platform during a recent science campaign. In this blind test, cloud screening is performed without error while keeping pace with instrument data rates.
Published in: IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing ( Volume: 52, Issue: 11, November 2014)
Page(s): 6779 - 6792
Date of Publication: 19 February 2014

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