Skip Links
USGS HomeContact USGSSearch USGS
U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 709–B
>> Pubs Warehouse > DS 709–B Prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Defense Task Force for Business and Stability Operations and the Afghanistan Geological SurveyLocal-Area-Enhanced, 2.5-Meter Resolution Natural-Color and Color-Infrared Satellite-Image Mosaics of the Balkhab Mineral District in AfghanistanBy Philip A. Davis and Laura E. Cagney2012
 Index map displaying the location of the       Balkhab mineral district within Afghanistan in the geographic coordinate       system. Index map is provided in both PDF and jpeg formats. Click on the       figure for a PDF (0.6 MB). 

 Index map of the image products showing the       extent of the target area and tile or quadrant scheme that was used to       subdivide the image mosaics for the target area. The target area includes       a subarea for detailed investigation (the Balkhab Prospect subarea), whose       boundaries are also depicted. This information is displayed on the       topographic shaded-relief base map of Bohannon (2007) in the UTM map       projection and is provided in both PDF and jpeg formats. Click on the       figure for a PDF (1.8 MB). 
Abstract 
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S.       Department of Defense Task Force for Business and Stability Operations,       prepared databases for mineral-resource target areas in Afghanistan. The       purpose of the databases is to (1) provide useful data to ground-survey       crews for use in performing detailed assessments of the areas and (2)       provide useful information to private investors who are considering       investment in a particular area for development of its natural resources.       The set of satellite-image mosaics provided in this Data Series (DS) is       one such database. Although airborne digital color-infrared imagery was       acquired for parts of Afghanistan in 2006, the image data have radiometric       variations that preclude their use in creating a consistent image mosaic       for geologic analysis. Consequently, image mosaics were created using ALOS       (Advanced Land Observation Satellite; renamed Daichi) satellite images,       whose radiometry has been well determined (Saunier, 2007a,b). This part of       the DS consists of the locally enhanced ALOS image mosaics for the Balkhab       mineral district, which has copper deposits. 

ALOS was launched on January 24, 2006, and provides multispectral       images from the AVNIR (Advanced Visible and Near-Infrared Radiometer)       sensor in blue (420–500 nanometer, nm), green (520–600 nm), red (610–690       nm), and near-infrared (760–890 nm) wavelength bands with an 8-bit dynamic       range and a 10-meter (m) ground resolution. The satellite also provides a       panchromatic band image from the PRISM (Panchromatic Remote-sensing       Instrument for Stereo Mapping) sensor (520–770 nm) with the same dynamic       range but a 2.5-m ground resolution. The image products in this DS       incorporate copyrighted data provided by the Japan Aerospace Exploration       Agency (©JAXA,2007,2008), but the image processing has altered the       original pixel structure and all image values of the JAXA ALOS data, such       that original image values cannot be recreated from this DS. As such, the       DS products match JAXA criteria for value added products, which are not       copyrighted, according to the ALOS end-user license agreement. 

The selection criteria for the satellite imagery used in our mosaics       were images having (1) the highest solar-elevation angles (near summer       solstice) and (2) the least cloud, cloud-shadow, and snow cover. The       multispectral and panchromatic data were orthorectified with ALOS       satellite ephemeris data, a process which is not as accurate as       orthorectification using digital elevation models (DEMs); however, the       ALOS processing center did not have a precise DEM. As a result, the       multispectral and panchromatic image pairs were generally not well       registered to the surface and not coregistered well enough to perform       resolution enhancement on the multispectral data. Therefore, it was       necessary to (1) register the 10-m AVNIR multispectral imagery to a       well-controlled Landsat image base, (2) mosaic the individual       multispectral images into a single image of the entire area of interest,       (3) register each panchromatic image to the registered multispectral image       base, and (4) mosaic the individual panchromatic images into a single       image of the entire area of interest. The two image-registration steps       were facilitated using an automated control-point algorithm developed by       the USGS that allows image coregistration to within one picture element.       Before rectification, the multispectral and panchromatic images were       converted to radiance values and then to relative-reflectance values using       the methods described in Davis (2006). Mosaicking the multispectral or       panchromatic images started with the image with the highest sun-elevation       angle and the least atmospheric scattering, which was treated as the       standard image. The band-reflectance values of all other multispectral or       panchromatic images within the area were sequentially adjusted to that of       the standard image by determining band-reflectance correspondence between       overlapping images using linear least-squares analysis. The resolution of       the multispectral image mosaic was then increased to that of the       panchromatic image mosaic using the SPARKLE logic, which is described in       Davis (2006). Each of the four-band images within the resolution-enhanced       image mosaic was individually subjected to a local-area histogram stretch       algorithm (described in Davis, 2007), which stretches each band’s picture       element based on the digital values of all picture elements within a 315-m       radius. The final databases, which are provided in this DS, are       three-band, color-composite images of the local-area-enhanced,       natural-color data (the blue, green, and red wavelength bands) and       color-infrared data (the green, red, and near-infrared wavelength bands).       

All image data were initially projected and maintained in Universal       Transverse Mercator (UTM) map projection using the target area’s local       zone (42 for Balkhab) and the WGS84 datum. The final image mosaics were       subdivided into two overlapping tiles or quadrants because of the large       size of the target area. The two image tiles (or quadrants) for the       Balkhab area are provided as embedded geotiff images, which can be read       and used by most geographic information system (GIS) and image-processing       software. The tiff world files (tfw) are provided, even though they are       generally not needed for most software to read an embedded geotiff image.       Within the Balkhab study area, one subarea was designated for detailed       field investigations (that is, the Balkhab Prospect subarea); this subarea       was extracted from the area’s image mosaic and is provided as separate       embedded geotiff images. 
References Cited
Bohannon, R.G., 2007, Topographic map of quadrangle       3566, Sang-Charak (501) and Sayhgan-o-Kamard (502) quadrangles,       Afghanistan, U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2005–1100–B,       1:250,000 scale, available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2005/1100/B/. 

Davis, P.A., 2006, Calibrated Landsat ETM+       nonthermal-band image mosaics of Afghanistan: U.S. Geological Survey       Open-File Report 2006–1345, 18 p., available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2006/1345/. 

Davis, P.A., 2007, Landsat ETM+ false-color image       mosaics of Afghanistan: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2007–1029,       22 p., available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1029/. 

Saunier, S., 2007a, Final calibration/validation       report, PRISM: GAEL Consultant report, 27 p., accessed April 23, 2012, at       http://earth.esa.int/pub/ESA_DOC/ALOS011.pdf. 

Saunier, S., 2007b, Final calibration/validation       report, AVNIR-2: GAEL Consultant report, 25 p., accessed April 23, 2012,       at http://earth.esa.int/pub/ESA_DOC/ALOS012.pdf. 

First       posted September 5, 2012
- Readme TXT  (11 kB) 
- Index maps  (4 files; 4.1 MB total)         
- Image files  (6 files; 2.02 GB total)         
- Metadata  (6 files; 90 kB total) 
- Shapefiles  (1 file; 8 kB) 
- Back to USGS DS–709 
- This report is available only on the Web.

For additional information:Contact       Information, Mineral Resources Program U.S. Geological Survey       12201 Sunrise Valley Drive 913 National Center Reston, VA       20192 http://minerals.usgs.gov/

Part of this report is presented in Portable Document       Format (PDF); the latest version of Adobe Reader or similar software is       required to view it. Download the latest version of Adobe Reader, free of       charge.
Suggested citation:
Davis, P.A., and Cagney, L.E., 2012, Local-area-enhanced, 2.5-meter resolution natural-color and color-infrared satellite-image mosaics of the Balkhab mineral district in Afghanistan, in Davis, P.A, compiler, Local-area-enhanced, high-resolution natural-color and color-infrared satellite-image mosaics of mineral districts in Afghanistan: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 709–B. (Available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/709/b/.) 

AccessibilityFOIAPrivacyPolicies and Notices

U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological SurveyURL: http://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/709/b/Page Contact Information: GS Pubs Web ContactPage Last Modified: Sunday, January 13, 2013, 08:38:53 PM