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Pagnutti, Mary

Publications and source records attributed to Pagnutti, Mary.

At least 37 records · Page 2

Spatial Resolution Characterization for Aerial Digital Imagery

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration have jointly conducted characterizations of aerial digital imagery from commercial data providers. In a typical scenario, a vendor acquired imagery over the Stennis Space Center test range and provided a common data package to SSC. SSC personnel analyzed the geopositional accuracy and spatial resolution of the images, then documented the characterization results in a report and delivered the report to the USGS. Spatial resolution characterization was based on edge response measurements using one of the SSC edge targets and the tilted-edge technique. Relative Edge Response (RER) has been estimated for aerial digital imagery from several commercial data providers. RER is one of the engineering parameters used in the General Image Quality Equation to provide predictions of imaging system performance expressed in terms of the National Imagery Interpretability Rating Scale.

Blonski, Slawomir

Atmospheric Correction Prototype Algorithm for High Spatial Resolution Multispectral Earth Observing Imaging Systems

This viewgraph presentation reviews the creation of a prototype algorithm for atmospheric correction using high spatial resolution earth observing imaging systems. The objective of the work was to evaluate accuracy of a prototype algorithm that uses satellite-derived atmospheric products to generate scene reflectance maps for high spatial resolution (HSR) systems. This presentation focused on preliminary results of only the satellite-based atmospheric correction algorithm.

Pagnutti, Mary

Initial Radiometric Calibration of the AWiFS using Vicarious Calibration Techniques

NASA SSC maintains four ASD FieldSpec FR spectroradiometers: 1) Laboratory transfer radiometers; 2) Ground surface reflectance for V&V field collection activities. Radiometric Calibration consists of a NIST-calibrated integrating sphere which serves as a source with known spectral radiance. Spectral Calibration consists of a laser and pen lamp illumination of integrating sphere. Environmental Testing includes temperature stability tests performed in environmental chamber.

Pagnutti, Mary

Novel Hyperspectral Sun Photometer for Satellite Remote Sensing Data Radiometric Calibration and Atmospheric Aerosol Studies

A simple and cost-effective, hyperspectral sun photometer for radiometric vicarious remote sensing system calibration, air quality monitoring, and potentially in-situ planetary climatological studies, was developed. The device was constructed solely from off the shelf components and was designed to be easily deployable for support of short-term verification and validation data collects. This sun photometer not only provides the same data products as existing multi-band sun photometers, this device requires a simpler setup, less data acquisition time and allows for a more direct calibration approach. Fielding this instrument has also enabled Stennis Space Center (SSC) Applied Sciences Directorate personnel to cross calibrate existing sun photometers. This innovative research will position SSC personnel to perform air quality assessments in support of the NASA Applied Sciences Program's National Applications program element as well as to develop techniques to evaluate aerosols in a Martian or other planetary atmosphere.

Pagnutti, Mary

Measurement Sets and Sites Commonly Used for High Spatial Resolution Image Product Characterization

Scientists within NASA's Applied Sciences Directorate have developed a well-characterized remote sensing Verification & Validation (V&V) site at the John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC). This site has enabled the in-flight characterization of satellite high spatial resolution remote sensing system products form Space Imaging IKONOS, Digital Globe QuickBird, and ORBIMAGE OrbView, as well as advanced multispectral airborne digital camera products. SSC utilizes engineered geodetic targets, edge targets, radiometric tarps, atmospheric monitoring equipment and their Instrument Validation Laboratory to characterize high spatial resolution remote sensing data products. This presentation describes the SSC characterization capabilities and techniques in the visible through near infrared spectrum and examples of calibration results.

Pagnutti, Mary

Novel Hyperspectral Sun Photometer for Satellite Remote Sensing Data Radiometeic Calibration and Atmospheric Aerosol Studies

A simple and cost-effective, hyperspectral sun photometer for radiometric vicarious remote sensing system calibration, air quality monitoring, and potentially in-situ planetary climatological studies, was developed. The device was constructed solely from off the shelf components and was designed to be easily deployable for support of short-term verification and validation data collects. This sun photometer not only provides the same data products as existing multi-band sun photometers but also the potential of hyperspectral optical depth and diffuse-to-global products. As compared to traditional sun photometers, this device requires a simpler setup, less data acquisition time and allows for a more direct calibration approach. Fielding this instrument has also enabled Stennis Space Center (SSC) Applied Sciences Directorate personnel to cross-calibrate existing sun photometers. This innovative research will position SSC personnel to perform air quality assessments in support of the NASA Applied Sciences Program's National Applications program element as well as to develop techniques to evaluate aerosols in a Martian or other planetary atmosphere.

Pagnutti, Mary

Estimating Temperature Retrieval Accuracy Associated With Thermal Band Spatial Resolution Requirements for Center Pivot Irrigation Monitoring and Management

This study explores the use of synthetic thermal center pivot irrigation scenes to estimate temperature retrieval accuracy for thermal remote sensed data, such as data acquired from current and proposed Landsat-like thermal systems. Center pivot irrigation is a common practice in the western United States and in other parts of the world where water resources are scarce. Wide-area ET (evapotranspiration) estimates and reliable water management decisions depend on accurate temperature information retrieval from remotely sensed data. Spatial resolution, sensor noise, and the temperature step between a field and its surrounding area impose limits on the ability to retrieve temperature information. Spatial resolution is an interrelationship between GSD (ground sample distance) and a measure of image sharpness, such as edge response or edge slope. Edge response and edge slope are intuitive, and direct measures of spatial resolution are easier to visualize and estimate than the more common Modulation Transfer Function or Point Spread Function. For these reasons, recent data specifications, such as those for the LDCM (Landsat Data Continuity Mission), have used GSD and edge response to specify spatial resolution. For this study, we have defined a 400-800 m diameter center pivot irrigation area with a large 25 K temperature step associated with a 300 K well-watered field surrounded by an infinite 325 K dry area. In this context, we defined the benchmark problem as an easily modeled, highly common stressing case. By parametrically varying GSD (30-240 m) and edge slope, we determined the number of pixels and field area fraction that meet a given temperature accuracy estimate for 400-m, 600-m, and 800-m diameter field sizes. Results of this project will help assess the utility of proposed specifications for the LDCM and other future thermal remote sensing missions and for water resource management.

Ryan, Robert E.

Thermal Band Atmospheric Correction Using Atmospheric Profiles Derived from Global Positioning System Radio Occultation and the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder

This Rapid Prototyping Capability study explores the potential to use atmospheric profiles derived from GPS (Global Positioning System) radio occultation measurements and by AIRS (Atmospheric Infrared Sounder) onboard the Aqua satellite to improve surface temperature retrieval from remotely sensed thermal imagery. This study demonstrates an example of a cross-cutting decision support technology whereby NASA data or models are shown to improve a wide number of observation systems or models. The ability to use one data source to improve others will be critical to the GEOSS (Global Earth Observation System of Systems) where a large number of potentially useful systems will require auxiliary datasets as input for decision support. Atmospheric correction of thermal imagery decouples TOA radiance and separates surface emission from atmospheric emission and absorption. Surface temperature can then be estimated from the surface emission with knowledge of its emissivity. Traditionally, radiosonde sounders or atmospheric models based on radiosonde sounders, such as the NOAA (National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration) ARL (Air Resources Laboratory) READY (Real-time Environmental Application and Display sYstem), provide the atmospheric profiles required to perform atmospheric correction. Unfortunately, these types of data are too spatially sparse and too infrequently taken. The advent of high accuracy, global coverage, atmospheric data using GPS radio occultation and AIRS may provide a new avenue for filling data input gaps. In this study, AIRS and GPS radio occultation derived atmospheric profiles from the German Aerospace Center CHAMP (CHAllenging Minisatellite Payload), the Argentinean Commission on Space Activities SAC-C (Satellite de Aplicaciones Cientificas-C), and the pair of NASA GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellites are used as input data in atmospheric radiative transport modeling based on the MODTRAN (MODerate resolution atmospheric TRANsmittance) radiative transport software to separate out the atmospheric component of measured top of atmosphere radiance. Simulated water bodies across a variety of MODTRAN model atmospheres including desert, mid-latitude, tropical and sub-artic conditions provide test bed conditions. Atmospherically corrected radiance and surface temperature results were compared to those obtained using traditional radiosonde balloon data and models. In general, differences between the different techniques were less than 2 percent indicating the potential value satellite derived atmospheric profiles have to atmospherically correct thermal imagery.

Pagnutti, Mary

High Spatial Resolution Commercial Satellite Imaging Product Characterization

NASA Stennis Space Center's Remote Sensing group has been characterizing privately owned high spatial resolution multispectral imaging systems, such as IKONOS, QuickBird, and OrbView-3. Natural and man made targets were used for spatial resolution, radiometric, and geopositional characterizations. Higher spatial resolution also presents significant adjacency effects for accurate reliable radiometry.

Ryan, Robert E.

Atmospheric Correction of High-Spatial-Resolution Commercial Satellite Imagery Products Using MODIS Atmospheric Products

Remotely sensed ground reflectance is the basis for many inter-sensor interoperability or change detection techniques. Satellite inter-comparisons and accurate vegetation indices such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, which is used to describe or to imply a wide variety of biophysical parameters and is defined in terms of near-infrared and redband reflectance, require the generation of accurate reflectance maps. This generation relies upon the removal of solar illumination, satellite geometry, and atmospheric effects and is generally referred to as atmospheric correction. Atmospheric correction of remotely sensed imagery to ground reflectance, however, has been widely applied to only a few systems. In this study, we atmospherically corrected commercially available, high spatial resolution IKONOS and QuickBird imagery using several methods to determine the accuracy of the resulting reflectance maps. We used extensive ground measurement datasets for nine IKONOS and QuickBird scenes acquired over a two-year period to establish reflectance map accuracies. A correction approach using atmospheric products derived from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer data created excellent reflectance maps and demonstrated a reliable, effective method for reflectance map generation.

Pagnutti, Mary

Atmospheric Correction of High-Spatial-Resolution Commercial Satellite Imagery Products Using MODIS Atmospheric Products

Remotely sensed ground reflectance is the foundation of any interoperability or change detection technique. Satellite intercomparisons and accurate vegetation indices, such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), require the generation of accurate reflectance maps (NDVI is used to describe or infer a wide variety of biophysical parameters and is defined in terms of near-infrared (NIR) and red band reflectances). Accurate reflectance-map generation from satellite imagery relies on the removal of solar and satellite geometry and of atmospheric effects and is generally referred to as atmospheric correction. Atmospheric correction of remotely sensed imagery to ground reflectance has been widely applied to a few systems only. The ability to obtain atmospherically corrected imagery and products from various satellites is essential to enable widescale use of remotely sensed, multitemporal imagery for a variety of applications. An atmospheric correction approach derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) that can be applied to high-spatial-resolution satellite imagery under many conditions was evaluated to demonstrate a reliable, effective reflectance map generation method. Additional information is included in the original extended abstract.

Pagnutti, Mary

Stennis Space Center Verification & Validation Capabilities

Scientists within NASA s Applied Sciences Directorate have developed a well-characterized remote sensing Verification & Validation (V&V) site at the John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC). This site enables the in-flight characterization of satellite and airborne high spatial and moderate resolution remote sensing systems and their products. The smaller scale of the newer high resolution remote sensing systems allows scientists to characterize geometric, spatial, and radiometric data properties using a single V&V site. The targets and techniques used to characterize data from these newer systems can differ significantly from the techniques used to characterize data from the earlier, coarser spatial resolution systems. Scientists are also using the SSC V&V site to characterize thermal infrared systems and active lidar systems. SSC employs geodetic targets, edge targets, radiometric tarps, atmospheric monitoring equipment, and thermal calibration ponds to characterize remote sensing data products. The SSC Instrument Validation Lab is a key component of the V&V capability and is used to calibrate field instrumentation and to provide National Institute of Standards and Technology traceability. This poster presents a description of the SSC characterization capabilities and examples of calibration data.

Pagnutti, Mary

Decision Support Tool Evaluation Report for Coral Reef Early Warning System (CREWS) Version 7.0

The Coral Reef Early Warning System (CREWS) is operated by NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research as part of its Coral Reef Watch program in response to the deteriorating global state of coral reef and related benthic ecosystems. In addition to sea surface temperatures (SSTs), the two most important parameters used by the CREWS network in generating coral reef bleaching alerts are 1) wind speed and direction and 2) photosynthetically available radiation (PAR). NASA remote sensing products that can enhance CREWS in these areas include SST and PAR products from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and wind data from the Quick Scatterometer (QuikSCAT). CREWS researchers are also interested in chlorophyll, chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM), and salinity. Chlorophyll and CDOM are directly available as NASA products, while rainfall (an available NASA product) can be used as a proxy for salinity. Other potential NASA inputs include surface reflectance products from MODIS, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer, and Landsat. This report also identifies NASA-supported ocean circulation models and products from future satellite missions that might enchance the CREWS DST.

D'Sa, Eurico

OrbView-3 Initial On-Orbit Characterization

NASA at Stennis Space Center (SSC) established a Space Act Agreement with Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC) and ORBIMAGE Inc. to collaborate on the characterization of the OrbView-3 system and its imagery products and to develop characterization techniques further. In accordance with the agreement, NASA performed an independent radiometric, spatial, and geopositional accuracy assessment of OrbView-3 imagery acquired before completion of the system's initial on-orbit checkout. OSC acquired OrbView-3 imagery over SSC from July 2003 through January 2004, and NASA collected ground reference information coincident with many of these acquisitions. After evaluating all acquisitions, NASA deemed two multispectral images and five panchromatic images useful for characterization. NASA then performed radiometric, spatial, and geopositional characterizations.

Ross, Kent

Evaluation of the Harmful Algal Bloom Mapping System (HABMapS) and Bulletin

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Mapping System and Bulletin provide a Web-based geographic information system (GIS) and an e-mail alert system that allow the detection, monitoring, and tracking of HABs in the Gulf of Mexico. NASA Earth Science data that potentially support HABMapS/Bulletin requirements include ocean color, sea surface temperature (SST), salinity, wind fields, precipitation, water surface elevation, and ocean currents. Modeling contributions include ocean circulation, wave/currents, along-shore current regimes, and chlorophyll modeling (coupled to imagery). The most immediately useful NASA contributions appear to be the 1-km Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) chlorophyll and SST products and the (presently used) SeaWinds wind vector data. MODIS pigment concentration and SST data are sufficiently mature to replace imagery currently used in NOAA HAB applications. The large file size of MODIS data is an impediment to NOAA use and modified processing schemes would aid in NOAA adoption of these products for operational HAB forecasting.

Hall, Callie

JACIE Radiometric Assessment of QuickBird Multispectral Imagery

Radiometric calibration of commercial imaging satellite products is required to ensure that science and application communities can place confidence in the imagery they use and can fully understand its properties. Inaccurate radiometric calibrations can lead to erroneous decisions and invalid conclusions and can limit intercomparisons with other systems. To address this calibration need, the NASA Stennis Space Center (SSC) Earth Science Applications (ESA) directorate,through the Joint Agency for Commercial Imagery Evaluation (JACIE) framework, established a commercial imaging satellite radiometric calibration team consisting of two groups: 1) NASA SSC ESA, supported by South Dakota State University, and 2) the University of Arizona Remote Sensing Group. The two groups determined the absolute radiometric calibration coefficients of the Digital Globe 4-band, 2.4-m QuickBird multispectral product covering the visible through near-infrared spectral region. For a 2-year period beginning in 2002, both groups employed some variant of a reflectance-based vicarious calibration approach, which required ground-based measurements coincident with QuickBird image acquisitions and radiative transfer calculations. The groups chose several study sites throughout the United States that covered nearly the entire dynamic range of the QuickBird sensor. QuickBird at-sensor radiance values were compared with those estimated by the two independent groups to determine the QuickBird sensor's radiometric accuracy. Approximately 20 at-sensor radiance estimates were vicariously determined each year. The estimates were combined to provide a high-precision radiometric gain calibration coefficient. The results of this evaluation provide the user community with an independent assessment of the QuickBird sensor's absolute calibration and stability over the 2-year period. While the techniques and method described reflect those developed at the NASA SSC, the results of both JACIE team groups are included in this paper.

Pagnutti, Mary

Decision Support Tool Evaluation Report for General NOAA Oil Modeling Environment(GNOME) Version 2.0

NASA's Earth Science Applications Directorate evaluated the potential of NASA remote sensing data and modeling products to enhance the General NOAA Oil Modeling Environment (GNOME) decision support tool. NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) Response Division is interested in enhancing GNOME with near-realtime (NRT) NASA remote sensing products on oceanic winds and ocean circulation. The NASA SeaWinds sea surface wind and Jason-1 sea surface height NRT products have potential, as do sea surface temperature and reflectance products from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer and sea surface reflectance products from Landsat and the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflectance Radiometer. HAZMAT is also interested in the Advanced Circulation model and the Ocean General Circulation Model. Certain issues must be considered, including lack of data continuity, marginal data redundancy, and data formatting problems. Spatial resolution is an issue for near-shore GNOME applications. Additional work will be needed to incorporate NASA inputs into GNOME, including verification and validation of data products, algorithms, models, and NRT data.

Spruce, Joseph P.