Patent ID: 9228897
Filing Date: 2016-01-05
CPC Classification: G01J,G01N,G02F

Claim Text:
1. A method for detecting atmospheric trace gas emissions at a specific target location from an observation platform, the method comprising: a) providing an image gathering device at said platform, said platform overflying said specific target location; b) providing a wide angle Fabry-Perot interferometer at said platform such that light gathered from said specific target location passes through said interferometer before being received by said image gathering device, said interferometer allowing said atmospheric trace gas emissions for a target area to be measured using light at multiple wavelengths; c) determining, by way of a data processing module, a spectral response of a plurality of pixels on said image gathering device to said light gathered from said specific target location based on a traversal angle for said interferometer; d) recursively adjusting, by way of said data processing module, parameters of a predetermined model and recursively comparing said spectral response from said image gathering device with results from said model to determine vertical column densities of said atmospheric trace gases at said specific target locations, said vertical column densities being values which account for relevant atmospheric spectroscopy and a full instrument response from devices on said platform.