Hyperspectral

The term hyperspectral is found in military and remote sensing jargon and denotes, a sensor system observing a target in many spectral bands.

In remote sensing this is generally defined as a spectral sensor measuring radiance in 100 or more spectral bands which are contiguous. The individual bands usually have a spectral resolution of 1-20 nanometers, and spectral sensitivity generally ranges from 350 nm to 2500 nm, in other words, from the blue visible, through the near infrared to the thermal infrared.

The narrow bands in which radiance is measured, combined with the high number of bands allows detection of minute variations in the spectral signatures. This can for instance be used for the identification of minerals, the measurement of plant chemical composition or the approximation of water content in snow. The main application field is in mining, where mineral composition of the soil and rock formation is used to determine the potential presence of ores.

Hyperspectral imaging is also finding applications in defense\intelligence circles- namely for denial and deception defeat, disturbed earth and stressed vegetation detection and ground materials identification.

Hyperspectral remote sensing is mostly performed using airborne or handheld sensors. A few hyperspectral satellite systems are operational, of which hyperion is most well-known. Common handheld spectrometers are the fieldspectrometers by GER and ASD. Airborne platforms are operated by a number of companies including HyVista (The HyMap system), SpecTIR (The ProSpecTIR and HyperSpecTIR systems) and the Galileo Group (The Aisa system).

See also

• Imaging spectroscopy
• Multispectral
• Sensor fusion

References

• Ferwerda, J.G. (2005) Charting the quality of forage : measuring and mapping the variation of chemical components in foliage with hyperspectral remote sensing. Wageningen, Wageningen University, 2005. ITC Dissertation 126, 166 p. ISBN 90-8504-209-7.

Links

• Hyvista Corp Operator of HyMap Airborne Imaging Systems.
• Integrated Spectronics Manufacturer of HyMap Airborne Imaging Systems, and PIMA field spectrometers.