A review of hyperspectral imagers and comparison with respect to real time processing on space and aircraft platforms.

Over the last decade, various designs for hyperspectral instruments have been developed and may be categorized roughly by the way in which they acquire hyperspectral data: via filter, dispersion (grating or prism), or Fourier transform. Each category has unique characteristics that lead to differing processing needs. Fueled by increasing demands for real time hyperspectral data from space and aircraft platforms, a new generation of data processing capabilities are being developed by an increasingly large community with the objective of accommodating the high data rate produced by these hyperspectral imagers (HSIs). This paper provides an overview of the three basic categories of HSIs and then contrasts each with respect to current and planned processing capabilities.