AVIRIS - Airborne Visible / Infrared Imaging Spectrometer - Imaging Spectroscopy
Follow this link to skip to the main content
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology
jpltransbanner
spacer
JPL HOME
jplbanner
EARTH
jplbannervt
SOLAR SYSTEM
jplbanner
STARS & GALAXIES
jplbanner
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
jplbanner
BRING THE UNIVERSE TO YOU: JPL Email News jplbanner RSS jplbanner Podcast jplbanner Video
spacer
spacer
spacer
AVIRIS -- Airborne Visible / Infrared Imaging Spectrometer
                           Imaging Spectroscopy
Home
Flight Planning & Logs
spacer
AVIRIS
spacer
The AVIRIS Task
spacer
Concept
spacer
Instrument
spacer
Spectrum
spacer
Imaging Spectroscopy
spacer
Data Processing
spacer
The AVIRIS Team
spacer
Science & Applications
spacer
Data
spacer
Quicklooks
spacer
Publications
spacer
spacer
Links
spacer
Contact
spacer
 
 
 
News and Updates
 
ask us
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer

Concept, Approach, Calibration, Atmospheric Compensation, Research and Applications

Imaging Spectroscopy is the acquisition of images where for each spatial resolution element in the image a spectrum of the energy arriving at the sensor is measured. These spectra are used to derive information based on the signature of the interaction of matter and energy expressed in the spectrum. This spectroscopic approach has been used in the laboratory and in astronomy for more than 100 years.

As an example, a reflectance spectrum of a mixture of three common rock forming minerals is shown below. Each mineral is a different molecule that absorbs energy in different regions of the spectrum. From the spectrum the three minerals can be identifed and with radiative transfer analysis the relative concentrations of the minerals can be determined.

Reflectance Spectrum of a Three Mineral Mixture - AVIRIS
Reflectance Spectrum of a Three Mineral Mixture
AVIRIS Spectral Sampling

The same spectrum is shown below as measured through the multispectral bands of the Landsat Thematic Mapper. The three molecules cannot be unambiguously identified, nor the relative concentrations determined.

Reflectance Spectrum of a Three Mineral Mixture --Landsat
Reflectance Spectrum of a Three Mineral Mixture
Landsat Thematic Mapper

The example above was for minerals found on the surface of the Earth. However, imaging spectroscopy is applicable wherever research, environmental and application questions can be posed in terms of molecules, scatterers and energy sources expressed in the solar reflected spectrum.

IMAGING SPECTROSCOPY IN THE SOLAR REFLECTED SPECTRUM

OBJECTIVE

Quantitative measurement of components of the Earth System from calibrated spectra acquired as images for scientific research and applications.

APPROACH

Measure the upwelling radiance spectrum from 400 to 2500 nm at 10 nm resolution Based upon the molecular absorptions and constituent scattering characteristics expressed in the spectrum:

  • Detect and identify the surface and atmospheric constituents present
  • Assess and measure the expressed constituent concentrations
  • Assign proportions to constituents in mixed spatial elements
  • Delineate spatial distribution of the constituents
  • Monitor changes in constituents through periodic data acquisitions
  • Simulate, calibrate and intercompare sensors
  • Validate, constrain and improve models

RESEARCH AND APPLICATIONS

Through measurement of the solar reflected spectrum, a range of scientific research and application is being pursed using signatures of energy, molecules and scatterers in the spectra measured by AVIRIS:

  • Atmosphere: water vapor, clouds properties, aerosols, absorbing gases...
  • Ecology: chlorophyll, leaf water, lignin, cellulose, pigments, structure, vegetation species and community maps, nonphotosynthetic constituents...
  • Geology and soils: mineralogy, soil type...
  • Coastal and Inland waters: chlorophyll, plankton, dissolved organics, sediments, bottom composition, bathymetry...
  • Snow and Ice Hydrology: snow cover fraction, grainsize, impurities, melting...
  • Biomass Burning: subpixel temperatures and extent, smoke, combustion products...
  • Environmental hazards: contaminants directly and indirectly, geological substrate...
  • Calibration: aircraft and satellite sensors, sensor simulation, standard validation..
  • Modeling: radiative transfer model validation and constraint...
  • Commercial: mineral exploration, agriculture and forest status...
  • Algorithms: autonomous atmospheric correction, advanced spectra derivation...
  • Other: human infrastructure...

With current technology, it has become possible to build sensors than can measure spectra as images of the Earth at high spectral and spatial resolution. Below is a depiction of how NASA's Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) measures spectra from 400 to 2500 nm at 10 nm intervals across the solar reflected spectrum. This chart shows the 224 AVIRIS spectral channels, a typical transmittance spectrum of the Earth's atmosphere and 6 of the multispectral bands measured by the Landsat Thematic Mapper.

AVIRIS Measurements in the Solar Reflected Spectrum
AVIRIS Measurements in the Solar Reflected Spectrum

 

IMAGING SPECTROSCOPY PROJECTS

GENERALIZED IMAGING SPECTROSCOPY EXPERIMENT OUTLINE

1) A research, environmental or application question that is connected to the distribution of materials that interact with solar reflected energy.

  • Vegetation (species type, chemistry, absorbing and scattering constituents, etc.) natural, managed forests, agriculture, etc.
  • Coastal and inland water (in water constituents, bottom constituents, etc.)
  • Human generated materials
  • Snow and ice
  • Hazards (contaminants, etc.)
  • Atmosphere (absorbers, scatterers, etc.)
  • Rocks and soils (minerals, altered minerals, etc.)
  • Biomass burning (cellulose, leaf water, fire temperature, etc.)

Note: additional research, environmental or application questions may be pursued through correlations with materials that interacts with solar reflected energy.

2) Reflectance or equivalent signatures of materials of interest

  • Spectral library of material signatures
  • Physical model of material signatures
  • Empirical strategy for deducing material signatures
  • Image derived signatures

3) Acquisition of imaging spectrometer data for optimal expression of solar reflected signatures.

  • Clear sky and sun at optimal orientation
  • Material of interest expressed (e.g. seasonal variation in vegetation)

3a) Contemporaneous validation data measurements

  • If this is a validation experiment, then independent measurement of the distribution of the materials of interest will support validation of the results.

4) Have a strategy for atmospheric correction

  • Empirical line method
  • JPL-MODTRAN method
  • ATREM method

4a) Measurements that support atmospheric correction. 

  • Reflectance measurements from one or two quasi homogeneous targets will generally improve the atmospheric correction

5) Algorithms and software that derive the expression of the material of interest from the atmospherically corrected reflectance imaging spectroscopy data set.

  • Simple unmixing
  • Multiple endmember unmixing
  • Spectral fitting
  • Physical model inversion
  • Empirical orthogonal function analysis

6) Algorithms that transform the resulting material distribution images to map coordinates.

  • Simple registration
  • Ephemeris registration
  • GIS

7) Apply the derived information and address the research, environmental or application question.

8) Results and Reporting




spacer



spacer
spacer
spacer
PRIVACY/COPYRIGHT  jplbanner  IMAGE POLICY  jplbanner   FEEDBACK
Site Manager:   Sarah Lundeen
Webmaster:   Ken Gowey spacer
JPL Number: CL 11-2654

Last Updated:
spacer