Patent ID: 8558884

Claim:
A computer implemented method for estimating properties of aerosol present in the atmosphere of a scene from imagery taken of the scene, comprising: receiving with a specially programmed computer multispectral or hyperspectral imagery of the scene, from which radiance measurements in at least two spectral bands can be obtained; receiving with the specially programmed computer a delineation within the imagery of at least one calibration target made from a known material; determining from the imagery a radiance measurement for each target of the at least one calibration target in multiple spectral bands including each of at least two spectral bands having distinct wavelength ranges; determining from the imagery a single radiance calibration reference for a background common to each target of the at least one calibration target, the single calibration reference excluding non-background radiance measurements from the at least one calibration target; for each of a predefined plurality of aerosol types, each aerosol being defined by a plurality of properties, fitting with a fitting process executing on the specially programmed computer a background reflectance of the scene to radiance measurements of the at least one calibration target and the single radiance calibration reference for the background, using at least the properties of the aerosol and a predetermined spectral reflectance of the at least one calibration target in each of the multiple spectral bands; and selecting the predefined aerosol that results in the best fit, the properties of the predefined aerosol being estimates for the properties of the aerosol present in the atmosphere of the scene.