Examples of atmospheric characterization using hyperspectral data in the VNIR, SWIR and MWIR

A conventional approach to HSI processing and exploitation has been to first perform atmospheric compensation so that surface features can be properly characterized. In this paper, the application of visible and IR spectral information to atmospheric characterization is discussed and illustrated with hyperspectral data in the VNIR, SWIR and MWIR data. AVIRIS and ARES data are utilized. The Airborne Visible-InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) sensor contains 224 bands, each with a spectral bandwidth of approximately 10 mn, allowing it to cover the entire range between 4 and 2.5 mum. For a NASA ER-2 flight altitude of 20 km, each pixel is 20 m in size, yielding a ground swath width of approximately 10 km. The Airborne Remote Earth Sensing (ARES) sensor was flown on a NASA WB-57 aircraft operated from approximately 15 km altitude. Spectral radiance data from 2.0 to 6.0 mum in 75 contiguous bands were collected. Pixel resolution is approximately 17 by 4.5 m(2) with a swath width of 800 m. Examples of data applications include atmospheric water vapor retrieval, aerosol characterization, delineation of natural and manmade clouds/plumes, and cloud depiction. It is illustrated that though each application may only require a few spectral bands, the ultimate strength of HSI exploitation lies in the simultaneous and adaptive retrievals of atmospheric and surface features. Inter-relationships among different bands are also demonstrated and these are the physical basis for the optimal exploitation of spectral information.