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

Imaging spectroscopy is of growing interest as a new apradiation with matter. Imaging spectroscopy in the solar proach to Earth remote sensing. The Airborne Visible/Inreflected spectrum was conceived for the same objective, frared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) was the first imbut from the Earth looking and regional perspective aging sensor to measure the solar reflected spectrum from (Fig. 1). Molecules and particles of the land, water and 400 nm to 2500 nm at 10 nm intervals. The calibration atmosphere environments interact with solar energy in accuracy and signal-to-noise of AVIRIS remain unique. the 400–2500 nm spectral region through absorption, reThe AVIRIS system as well as the science research and flection, and scattering processes. Imaging spectrometers applications have evolved significantly in recent years. The in the solar reflected spectrum are developed to measure initial design and upgraded characteristics of the AVIRIS spectra as images in some or all of this portion of this system are described in terms of the sensor, calibration, spectrum. These spectral measurements are used to dedata system, and flight operation. This update on the chartermine constituent composition through the physics and acteristics of AVIRIS provides the context for the science chemistry of spectroscopy for science research and appliresearch and applications that use AVIRIS data acquired cations over the regional scale of the image. in the past several years. Recent science research and apTo pursue the objective of imaging spectroscopy, the plications are reviewed spanning investigations of atmoJet Propulsion Laboratory proposed to design and despheric correction, ecology and vegetation, geology and velop the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectromesoils, inland and coastal waters, the atmosphere, snow and ter (AVIRIS) in 1983. AVIRIS first measured spectral ice hydrology, biomass burning, environmental hazards, images in 1987 and was the first imaging spectrometer satellite simulation and calibration, commercial applicato measure the solar reflected spectrum from 400 nm to tions, spectral algorithms, human infrastructure, as well as 2500 nm (Fig. 2). AVIRIS measures upwelling radiance spectral modeling. Elsevier Science Inc., 1998 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 INTRODUCTION length with 20 m spatial resolution. AVIRIS spectral images are acquired from the Q-bay of a NASA ER-2 airSpectroscopy is used in the laboratory in the disciplines craft from an altitude of 20,000 m. The spectral, radioof physics, chemistry, and biology to investigate material metric, and spatial calibration of AVIRIS is determined properties based on the interaction of electromagnetic 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 inJet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California vestigators since the initial flights. Address correspondence to R. O. Green, JPL Mail-Stop 306-438, AVIRIS has measured spectral images for science 4800 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena, CA 91109-8099. E-mail: rog@gomez. research and applications in every year since 1987. More jpl.nasa.gov Received 24 June 1998; accepted 8 July 1998. than 250 papers and abstracts have been written for the