Imaging Spectroscopy and the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS)

doi:10.1016/S0034-4257(98)00064-9

Remote Sensing of Environment

Volume 65, Issue 3, September 1998, Pages 227-248

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0034-4257(98)00064-9 Get rights and content

Abstract

Imaging spectroscopy is of growing interest as a new approach to Earth remote sensing. The Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) was the first imaging sensor to measure the solar reflected spectrum from 400 nm to 2500 nm at 10 nm intervals. The calibration accuracy and signal-to-noise of AVIRIS remain unique. The AVIRIS system as well as the science research and applications have evolved significantly in recent years. The initial design and upgraded characteristics of the AVIRIS system are described in terms of the sensor, calibration, data system, and flight operation. This update on the characteristics of AVIRIS provides the context for the science research and applications that use AVIRIS data acquired in the past several years. Recent science research and applications are reviewed spanning investigations of atmospheric correction, ecology and vegetation, geology and soils, inland and coastal waters, the atmosphere, snow and ice hydrology, biomass burning, environmental hazards, satellite simulation and calibration, commercial applications, spectral algorithms, human infrastructure, as well as spectral modeling.

Introduction

Spectroscopy is used in the laboratory in the disciplines of physics, chemistry, and biology to investigate material properties based on the interaction of electromagnetic radiation with matter. Imaging spectroscopy in the solar reflected spectrum was conceived for the same objective, but from the Earth looking and regional perspective (Fig. 1). Molecules and particles of the land, water and atmosphere environments interact with solar energy in the 400–2500 nm spectral region through absorption, reflection, and scattering processes. Imaging spectrometers in the solar reflected spectrum are developed to measure spectra as images in some or all of this portion of this spectrum. These spectral measurements are used to determine constituent composition through the physics and chemistry of spectroscopy for science research and applications over the regional scale of the image.

To pursue the objective of imaging spectroscopy, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory proposed to design and develop the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) in 1983. AVIRIS first measured spectral images in 1987 and was the first imaging spectrometer to measure the solar reflected spectrum from 400 nm to 2500 nm (Fig. 2). AVIRIS measures upwelling radiance through 224 contiguous spectral channels at 10 nm intervals across the spectrum. These radiance spectra are measured as images of 11 km width and up to 800 km length with 20 m spatial resolution. AVIRIS spectral images are acquired from the Q-bay of a NASA ER-2 aircraft from an altitude of 20,000 m. The spectral, radiometric, and spatial calibration of AVIRIS is determined in laboratory and monitored inflight each year. More than 4 TB of AVIRIS data have been acquired, and the requested data has been calibrated and distributed to investigators since the initial flights.

AVIRIS has measured spectral images for science research and applications in every year since 1987. More than 250 papers and abstracts have been written for the AVIRIS workshops Vane 1988, Green 1990a, Green 1991, Green 1992, Green 1993, Green 1995, Green 1996a. The workshop documents and additional information are maintained on the AVIRIS website (http://makalu.jpl.nasa.gov/AVIRIS.html). In the past 10 years, there have been a comparable number of AVIRIS papers written for other workshops, symposia, and conferences. A previous special journal issue related to AVIRIS has been published (Vane, 1993). There are additional AVIRIS related articles and papers throughout the remote sensing literature.

The AVIRIS system has been upgraded and improved in a continuous effort to meet the requirements of investigators using AVIRIS spectral images for science research and applications. These improvements have been directed towards the AVIRIS sensor, calibration, data system, and flight operations. In parallel with the sensor, the science research and applications pursued with AVIRIS have diversified and evolved. This article describes the characteristics and recent improvements to the AVIRIS system. The article also reviews a range of science research and applications results and objectives pursued with AVIRIS and provides a context for the accompanying articles in this journal special issue.

Section snippets

Sensor

AVIRIS is a sophisticated and complex optical sensor system involving a number of major subsystems, components, and characteristics (Table 1). Taken together, these result in the AVIRIS data characteristics (Table 2).

The AVIRIS sensor receives white light in the foreoptics, disperses the light into the spectrum, converts the photons to electrons, amplifies the signal, digitizes the signal and records the data to high density tape. The major subsystems of the sensor are the: scan mirror,

Calibration

AVIRIS data are required to be spectrally, radiometrically, and spatially calibrated in order to: derive physical parameters from measured radiance; compare data acquired from different regions and from different times; compare and analyze AVIRIS spectra with data acquired by other instruments; and compare and analyze data with results from computer models.

AVIRIS is spectrally, radiometrically, and spatially calibrated in the laboratory before and after each flight season Chrien et al. 1990,

Data system

The AVIRIS data system contains the computer hardware and software for calibration analysis, performance analysis, trend analysis, archiving, quicklook generation, data calibration, and data distribution. The AVIRIS data system is UNIX-based with software written in standard C and FORTRAN. Prior to 1996, the AVIRIS data system was based on 4 mm archive tapes accessed by hand, a complex relational database, and a monolith data processing program for all years of AVIRIS data. Under this system

Flight operations

The objective of AVIRIS is to measure imaging spectroscopy data for science research and applications. This objective is only achieved when AVIRIS is operating from the Q-bay of the NASA ER-2 aircraft (Table 4). For typically eight months of each year, AVIRIS is deployed and collecting data sets with the ER-2. Following laboratory calibration, AVIRIS is shipped to the ER-2 operation site with a complete set of ground support equipment. The first flight following a period of engineering

Research and applications

AVIRIS has measured spectral images for research and applications since the late 1980s. Both the calibration and signal-to-noise ratio of AVIRIS has improved each year since the initial flights. In parallel to the upgrades to the AVIRIS system, there has been improvements in our understanding of the spectral characteristics of materials in the land, water, and the atmosphere. The improved sensor system characteristics and understanding of the spectrum have enabled a wide range of science

Conclusion

Laboratory and ground based spectroscopy have been increasingly used across a range of research and applications areas. AVIRIS was developed to extend the use of spectroscopy to the realm of Earth remote sensing. AVIRIS was the first imaging spectrometer to measure the solar reflected spectrum from 400 nm to 2500 nm with contiguous 10 nm channels. The AVIRIS system was designed, developed, upgraded, and maintained to support a range of NASA research and applications objectives. The initial

Acknowledgements

This research was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, under contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

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Imaging Spectroscopy and the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS)

Abstract

Introduction

Section snippets

Sensor

Calibration

Data system

Flight operations

Research and applications

Conclusion

Acknowledgements

Remote Sens. Environ.

Remote Sens. Environ.

Remote Sens. Environ.

Remote Sens. Environ.

Remote Sens. Environ.

Remote Sens. Environ.

Remote Sens. Environ.

Remote Sens. Environ.

Remote Sens. Environ.

Adv. Space Res.

Remote Sens. Environ.

Remote Sens. Environ.

Remote Sens. Environ.

Remote Sens. Environ.

A remote sensing approach to alteration mapping AVIRIS data and extension related potassium Metasomatism, Socorro, New Mexico

Int. J. Remote Sens.

Remote mineralogic and lithologic mapping of the ice river alkaline complex, British Columbia Canada, using AVIRIS data

Photogramm. Eng. Remote Sens.

Water vapor column abundance retrievals during fire

J. Geophys. Res. Atmos.

Mapping hydrothermally altered rocks on Mount Rainier, Washington, with Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) Data

Geology

Remote sensing the biochemical composition of a slash pine canopy

IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens.

Identification and mapping of ferric oxide and oxyhydroxide minerals in imaging spectrometer data of Summitville, Colorado, USA, and the surrounding San Juan Mountains

Int. J. Remote Sens.