Hue adjustment to IHS pan-sharpened IKONOS imagery for vegetation enhancement

Fused or pan-sharpened IKONOS images are invaluable to the visual interpretation of large-area-scale applications. Frequently, the paramount objective is merely to obtain an image for visualization purposes, with no further image processing or analysis in mind. In such cases, the fused image should resemble reality as much as possible, with objects represented by their true colors at surface reflectance. In this letter, a technique for image fusion of IKONOS, or similar imagery, is proposed for when the main purpose of a specific image is vegetation visualization. The technique consists of a hue spectral adjustment scheme integrated with an intensity-hue-saturation transformation. Experimental evidence to support the technique is provided with a subset of IKONOS data available from the University of Alcala campus. In the final fused image, deciduous and evergreen vegetation can be clearly differentiated. The high quality of the fused image can also be appreciated in relation to other types of cartographic objects; the quantitative evaluation of spectral and spatial information results in a high color correlation and excellent spatial information quality.