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NASA NTRS1978

Feature discrimination/identification based upon SAR return variations

A study of the statistics of The look-to-look variation statistics in the returns recorded in-flight by a digital, realtime SAR system are analyzed. The determination that the variations in the look-to-look returns from different classes do carry information content unique to the classes was illustrated by a model based on four variants derived from four look in-flight SAR data under study. The model was limited to four classes of returns: mowed grass on a athletic field, rough unmowed grass and weeds on a large vacant field, young fruit trees in a large orchard, and metal mobile homes and storage buildings in a large mobile home park. The data population in excess of 1000 returns represented over 250 individual pixels from the four classes. The multivariant discriminant model operated on the set of returns for each pixel and assigned that pixel to one of the four classes, based on the target variants and the probability distribution function of the four variants for each class.

Rasco, W. A., Sr.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Adjacency effects on imaging by surface reflection and atmospheric scattering - Cross radiance to zenith

The paper discusses an analytical solution for the nadir radiance as measured from a satellite, based on a simplified single-scattering approximation in which the scattered radiation is not subject to extinction. In the solution, terms can be identified as due to a reflection from the vicinity of the object pixel, and respectively, (1) upward scattering to zenith above the object pixel (cross radiance), and (2) downward scattering from the entire atmosphere to the object pixel (cross irradiance). It is shown that the cross radiance is proportional to the forward scattering optical thickness, as defined, and the cross irradiance to the backscattering optical thickness. In addition, explicit expressions and computer solutions for the cross radiance from annular or from rectangular reflecting areas are presented. It is concluded that the effect depends on the height distribution and on the sharpness of the forward peak of the scattering particles.

Otterman, J.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Medical diagnosis system and method with multispectral imaging

A skin diagnosis system includes a scanning and optical arrangement whereby light reflected from each incremental area (pixel) of the skin is directed simultaneously to three separate light filters, e.g., IR, red, and green. As a result, the three devices simultaneously produce three signals which are directly related to the reflectance of light of different wavelengths from the corresponding pixel. These three signals for each pixel after processing are used as inputs to one or more output devices to produce a visual color display and/or a hard copy color print, for one usable as a diagnostic aid by a physician.

Anselmo, V. J.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Resolving the percentage of component terrains within single resolution elements

An approximate maximum likelihood technique employing a widely available discriminant analysis program is discussed that has been developed for resolving the percentage of component terrains within single resolution elements. The method uses all four channels of Landsat data simultaneously and does not require prior knowledge of the percentage of components in mixed pixels. It was tested in five cases that were chosen to represent mixtures of outcrop, soil and vegetation which would typically be encountered in geologic studies with Landsat data. For all five cases, the method proved to be superior to single band weighted average and linear regression techniques and permitted an estimate of the total area occupied by component terrains to within plus or minus 6% of the true area covered. Its major drawback is a consistent overestimation of the pixel component percent of the darker materials (vegetation) and an underestimation of the pixel component percent of the brighter materials (sand).

Marsh, S. E.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Computer program documentation for the patch subsampling processor

The programs presented are intended to provide a way to extract a sample from a full-frame scene and summarize it in a useful way. The sample in each case was chosen to fill a 512-by-512 pixel (sample-by-line) image since this is the largest image that can be displayed on the Integrated Multivariant Data Analysis and Classification System. This sample size provides one megabyte of data for manipulation and storage and contains about 3% of the full-frame data. A patch image processor computes means for 256 32-by-32 pixel squares which constitute the 512-by-512 pixel image. Thus, 256 measurements are available for 8 vegetation indexes over a 100-mile square.

Nieves, M. J.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Verification of land cover maps from LANDSAT data

The application of cluster sampling to verifying the accuracy of maps derived from digital data is discussed. Variants of the cluster sampling technique were used in large scale assessments for areas in excess of one million hectares. Three types of classification errors are possible: commission errors, omission errors, and overall error classification. Commission errors for a particular cover type occur when pixels are classified as that cover type but are found to be some other cover type when the field is checked. Omission errors occur when pixels of fields already visited and known to be of a particular cover type, are classified as some other cover type. Overall error is the proportion of pixels incorrectly classified, without regard to omission or commission. Since the classified image represents the sampling frame, sampling for accuracy assessment was designed to estimate commission error. However, the sample can also provide useful estimates of omission and overall error. Assessment for Alaska, Arizona, and Oklahoma are presented.

Linden, D. S.↗

NASA NTRS1982

A discussion of image sharpness

The image sharpness problem is discussed in terms of a scene which is viewed by a sensor. The sensor has some sort of function which is a nonpoint observing function, and it's a function that gathers energy from some region around a point in the scene. That energy is integrated and is contributed to each point or each sample that is taken of the scene. The samples become the pixels, and the pixels are assembled together into the digital image. Each one has some blurr or some of what is called the point's spread function creating the value of information or data that is seen in each pixel. Then the sensor and electronic part of the system acts on that signal out of the sensor and perhaps adds more blurring, more loss of resolution to the system. Finally, sampling and quantization of the data produce their effects. The signal is sampled at some rate and the digital image is created from that. The sampling or digitizing process puts the continuous voltage into a number of discrete binary levels, and another error is introduced there.

Anuta, P.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Spatial and spectral simulation of LANDSAT images of agricultural areas

A LANDSAT scene simulation capability was developed to study the effects of small fields and misregistration on LANDSAT-based crop proportion estimation procedures. The simulation employs a pattern of ground polygons each with a crop ID, planting date, and scale factor. Historical greenness/brightness crop development profiles generate the mean signal values for each polygon. Historical within-field covariances add texture to pixels in each polygon. The planting dates and scale factors create between-field/within-crop variation. Between field and crop variation is achieved by the above and crop profile differences. The LANDSAT point spread function is used to add correlation between nearby pixels. The next effect of the point spread function is to blur the image. Mixed pixels and misregistration are also simulated.

Pont, W. F., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Global auroral imaging instrumentation for the Dynamics Explorer Mission

The instrumentation for obtaining global images of the auroral oval from the high-altitude spacecraft of the Dynamics Explorer Mission is described. It is noted that the three spin-scan auroral imaging photometers are expected to be able to effectively view the dim emissions from earth in the presence of strong stray light sources near their fields-of-view along the sunlit portion of the spacecraft orbit. A special optical design that includes an off-axis parabolic mirror as the focusing element and super-reflecting mirror surfaces is used to minimize the effects of stray light. The rotation of the spacecraft and an instrument scanning mirror provide the two-dimensional array of pixels making up an image frame. It is pointed out that the full width of the fields-of-view of the photometers corresponding to a single pixel is 0.29 deg and that the angular dimensions of a typical full frame are 30 deg x 30 deg and span 14,400 pixels.

Frank, L. A.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Land cover classification accuracy as a function of sensor spatial resolution

The benefits obtained from sensor systems for monitoring earth resources will depend on the application and interpretation methods used. A frequently used analysis method is supervised per-pixel multispectral classification with a typical application being land cover classification. An investigation is conducted to evaluate the effect of spatial resolution on the ability to classify land cover types with per-pixel digital image classification techniques. Attention is also given to the documentation of changes in scene noise and the percentage of boundary pixels as a function of spatial resolution, in order to improve the understanding of the interrelationship between classification accuracy and spatial resolution. It is found that scene noise varies considerably between land cover categories. Changes in scene noise with coarsening resolution occur at different rates for different categories.

Markham, B. L.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Fanning - A classification algorithm for mixture landscapes applied to Landsat data of Maine forests

It is pointed out that typical landscapes include a relatively small number of 'pure' land cover types which combine in various proportions to form a myriad of mixture types. Most Landsat classifications algorithms used today require a separate user specification for each category, including mixture categories. Attention is given to a simpler approach, which would require the user to specify only the 'pure' types. Mixture pixels would be classified on the basis of the proportion of the area covered by each pure type within the pixel. The 'fanning' algorithm quantifies varying proportions of two 'pure' land cover types in selected mixture pixels. This algorithm was applied to 200,000 ha of forest land in Maine, taking into account a comparison with standard inventory information. Results compared well with a discrete categories classification of the same area.

Ungar, S. G.↗

NASA NTRS1982

A quantitative applications-oriented evaluation of Thematic Mapper design specifications

Simulated Thematic Mapper data sets were created from aircraft Multispectral Scanner data in order to predict the sensitivity of applications-oriented classification results to variations in selected sensor parameters. It was found that band-to-band misregistration as little as 0.3 pixel can have a pronounced effect on the classification of both field-center pixels and pixels associated with edges and small objects in the scene. It was also determined that a significant improvement in classification accuracy could be achieved if the resolution of the thermal band of the Thematic Mapper were comparable to the resolution of its other spectral bands.

Swain, P. H.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Sensitivity of geographic information system outputs to errors in remotely sensed data

The sensitivity of the outputs of a geographic information system (GIS) to errors in inputs derived from remotely sensed data (RSD) is investigated using a suitability model with per-cell decisions and a gridded geographic data base whose cells are larger than the RSD pixels. The process of preparing RSD as input to a GIS is analyzed, and the errors associated with classification and registration are examined. In the case of the model considered, it is found that the errors caused during classification and registration are partially compensated by the aggregation of pixels. The compensation is quantified by means of an analytical model, a Monte Carlo simulation, and experiments with Landsat data. The results show that error reductions of the order of 50% occur because of aggregation when 25 pixels of RSD are used per cell in the geographic data base.

Ramapriyan, H. K.↗

NASA NTRS1982

LANDSAT-4 image data quality analysis

Work done on evaluating the geometric and radiometric quality of early LANDSAT-4 sensor data is described. Band to band and channel to channel registration evaluations were carried out using a line correlator. Visual blink comparisons were run on an image display to observe band to band registration over 512 x 512 pixel blocks. The results indicate a .5 pixel line misregistration between the 1.55 to 1.75, 2.08 to 2.35 micrometer bands and the first four bands. Also a four 30M line and column misregistration of the thermal IR band was observed. Radiometric evaluation included mean and variance analysis of individual detectors and principal components analysis. Results indicate that detector bias for all bands is very close or within tolerance. Bright spots were observed in the thermal IR band on an 18 line by 128 pixel grid. No explanation for this was pursued. The general overall quality of the TM was judged to be very high.

Anuta, P. E.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Photon-counting array detectors for space and ground-based studies at ultraviolet and vacuum ultraviolet /VUV/ wavelengths

The Multi-Anode Microchannel Arrays (MAMAs) are a family of photoelectric photon-counting array detectors, with formats as large as (256 x 1024)-pixels that can be operated in a windowless configuration at vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) and soft X-ray wavelengths or in a sealed configuration at ultraviolet and visible wavelengths. This paper describes the construction and modes of operation of (1 x 1024)-pixel and (24 x 1024)-pixel MAMA detector systems that are being built and qualified for use in sounding-rocket spectrometers for solar and stellar observations at wavelengths below 1300 A. The performance characteristics of the MAMA detectors at ultraviolet and VUV wavelengths are also described.

Timothy, J. G.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Autonomous earth feature classification - Shuttle and aircraft flight test results

The Feature Identification and Location Experiment (FILE) flown on the Shuttle STS-2 mission November 12-14, 1981, tested a technique for autonomous real-time classification of selected earth features, i.e., water; bare land; vegetation; and clouds, snow, and ice. A second instrument, designed for aircraft flights, flew over regions of the west and east coasts of the United States and across the country. In each instrument, two bore-sighted CCD cameras image earth scenes in two spectral bands. Each camera includes a 100-element by 100-element detector array, and classification circuits. A simple algorithm and logic circuit provides classification decisions within a few microseconds. The experiment records the number of picture elements (pixels) representing each feature and the reflected solar radiation for each band. After flight, pixel-by-pixel classification images are constructed and compared with 70-mm color photographs taken simultaneously with the CCD-camera data.

Sivertson, W. E., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Quantile Data Analysis of Image Data

Quantile data analysis and functional statistical inference methods are introduced and applied to provide representations of spectral data which may lead to simple statistical discriminators effective for the estimation of ground truth from satellite spectral measurements. To estimate the ground truth of a pixel, the probability of each possible ground truth is estimated, given observed (estimated) quantile theoretic statistical characteristics of the multispectral image data corresponding to the pixel and its neighboring pixels. A strategy for determining which statistical characteristics discriminate best is described. Results are reported of quantile data analysis of an extensive collection of training files of image data.

Parzen, E.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Comparison of the information content of data from the LANDSAT 4 Thematic Mapper and the multispectral scanner

Evaluation of information contained in data from the visible and near-IR channels of LANDSAT 4 TM and MSS for five agricultural scenes shows that the TM provides a significant advance in information gathering capability as expressed in terms of bits per pixel or bits per unit area. The six reflective channels of the TM acquire 18 bits of information per pixel out of a possible 48 bits, while the four MSS channels acquire 10 bits of information per pixel out of a possible 28 bits. Thus the TM and MSS are equally efficient in gathering information (18/48 to approximately 10/28), contrary to the expected tendency toward lower efficiency as spatial resolution is improved and spectral channels are added to an observing system. The TM thermal IR data appear to be of interest mainly for mapping water bodies, which do not change temperature during the day, for assessing surface moisture, and for monitoring thermal features associated with human activity.

Price, J. C.↗