The benefits from hyperspectral imagery are expected to play a major role in future oil and gas exploration and exploitation. This combination delivers an unbiased tool, which is unique to the industry. Companies continually dealing with environmental issues will value this imagery for the capability of providing property base-line assessments, subscription flight monitoring and updated planning maps to develop operating strategies. The objectives in any hydrocarbon resource evaluation project would include geologic mapping of outcrop lithology and surface structure. Structures play a major role in forming hydrocarbon traps.
Hyperspectral imagery can aid in petroleum exploration by detecting microseepage.
Distribution of hydrocarbon seep related features at the surface use a variety of hyperspectral image processing techniques depending on land cover. Seepage detection will typically focus on the 4 main indicators previously mentioned. Figure 2 Figure 3 Mineralogical Reducing and slightly acidic conditions generated by seeping hydrocarbons will geochemically alter the mineral assemblages present in rock and soils. Geobotanical Geobotanical anomalies will look at vegetation in soil with higher concentrations of hydrocarbons causing higher stress. Improved results will be attained if vegetation is segregated on the basis of species, so that red-edge variations will not be biased in this regard.