Sentinel-2 MSI Radiometric Characterization and Cross-Calibration with Landsat-8 OLI

Near-nadir observations by the Multispectral Instrument (MSI) onboard the Sentinel-2 and the Operational Land Imager (OLI) onboard Landsat 8 were collected during two Simultaneous Nadir Overpasses (SNO). Multispectral images with 10, 20, and 30 m resolution from a spatially uniform area in the Saharan desert were acquired for direct comparison of MSI and OLI Top- Of-Atmosphere (TOA) reflectances. This paper presents an initial radiometric cross-calibration of the 8 corresponding spectral bands of the Sentinel-2 MSI and Landsat 8 OLI sensors. With the well-calibrated Landsat 8 OLI as a reference, the comparison indicates that 6 MSI bands are consistent with OLI within 3% in terms of spectral band adjustment factors Bi . The Near-Infra-Red (NIR) and cirrus bands are exceptions. They yield radiometric differences on the order of 8% and 15% respectively. Cross-calibration results show that the radiometric difference of the 7 corresponding bands are consistent to OLI within 1% or better, except on cirrus band. A pixel-by-pixel match between the MSI and OLI observations for different land covers showed that. This initial study suggests that the red-edge band B8A of MSI can be used to replace the NIR band B08 when conducting vegetation monitoring.

GF-5 VIMI On-Orbit Calibration Instrument and Performance

The Visible and Infrared Multispectral Imager (VIMI) is one of the main payloads of the GF-5 satellite. It has 12 spectral bands covering the wavelength from visible light to thermal infrared. The imager designed life is 8 years. In order to monitor and correct the radiometric performance of the imager for a long time and meet the user’s demand for the quantitative remote sensing application, the expandable diffuser used for calibration in full FOV and full optical path method is designed. The solar diffuser is installed on the front side of the optical system and does not affect the normal imaging of VIMI. When VIMI need calibration, the diffuser is expand to the front of optical system via the driving mechanism. According to the characteristics of the GF-5 satellite orbit, the requirement of the calibration energy and the installation matrix of the imager relative to the satellite, the expansion angle of the diffuser is 39 degrees. The 430 mm × 430 mm large-size PTEE diffuser is manufactured to ensure full FOV and full optical path calibration. The diffuser’s directional hemispherical reflectance is higher than 95% from 420 nm to 2400 nm and variation of BRDF in the direction of imager observation is better than 2.5%. The diffuser stability monitoring radiometer is designed to monitor the on-orbit attenuation performance of the diffuser. Results of ground simulation experiments and preliminary on-board calibration experiments were introduced.

Microwave method based on curve fitting method for high-precision collision frequency diagnosis

In this work,the results of plasma microwave transmission diagnosis were analyzed.According to the attenuation and phase shift of the electromagnetic wave propagating in the plasma,the electron density and collision frequency of the plasma can be diagnosed.Since part of the electromagnetic wave is reflected or diffracted when propagating in the plasma,and is not absorbed by the plasma,and this part of the attenuation is still included in the measured attenuation,the attenuation is distorted.Therefore,a curve fitting method is proposed to remove the attenuation caused by the plasma reflection,thereby improving the accuracy of the diagnosis of the collision frequency.The calibration effect of this method on plasmas with different electron densities and collision frequencies is analyzed,and a diagnostic frequency band with good calibration results is given.The curve fitting method is verified by experiment and simulation.After adopting the newly proposed method,the diagnosis accuracy of collision frequency can be increased by 30%.This method can be widely used in various types of plasma diagnosis and provides a new idea for plasma diagnosis.

On-orbit Geometric Calibration and Preliminary Accuracy Evaluation of GF-14 Satellite

GF-14 satellite is a new generation of sub-meter stereo surveying and mapping satellite in China,carrying dual-line array stereo mapping cameras to achieve 1∶10000 scale topographic mapping without Ground Control Points(GCPs).In fact,space-based high-precision mapping without GCPs is a challenging task that depends on the close cooperation of several payloads and links,of which on-orbit geometric calibration is one of the most critical links.In this paper,the on-orbit geometric calibration of the dual-line array cameras of GF-14 satellite was performed using the control points collected in the high-precision digital calibration field,and the calibration parameters of the dual-line array cameras were solved as a whole by alternate iterations of forward and backward intersection.On this basis,the location accuracy of the stereo images using the calibration parameters was preliminarily evaluated by using several test fields around the world.The evaluation result shows that the direct forward intersection accuracy of GF-14 satellite images without GCPs after on-orbit geometric calibration reaches 2.34 meters(RMS)in plane and 1.97 meters(RMS)in elevation.

High-accuracy primary and transfer standards for radiometric calibration

The first research and experimental results obtained in China of high-accuracy radiometric calibration based on cryogenic radiometer are reported. Uncertainties of cryogenic radiometer and trap detectors at 7 wavelengths in the visible spectrum (488-786 nm) were less than 0.023% and 0.035% respectively, which proved the reasonability and possibility of establishing and transferring high-accuracy radiometric standards based on detectors.

HJ-1A HSI on-orbit radiometric calibration and validation research

The calibration experiment data at Dunhuang radiometric calibration site in October, 2008 were used to achieve the on-orbit radiometric calibration for HJ-1A hyper spectral imager (HSI). Two other field experiments data were used to validate the Dunhuang calibration results. One field experiment took place in Inner-Mongolia, China in September, 2008, and the other field experiment took place in Lake Frome, Australia in February, 2009. Finally, the ‘confidence interval of calibration error’ concept was put forward for quantitatively computing the calibration coefficient error confidence interval. The results showed that the Dunhuang calibration results in 2008 had high reliability. The confidence intervals of calibration error for all HSI channels were between 2% to 12%, which could satisfy the requirement of the HSI quantitative applications.

VICARIOUS RADIOMETRIC CALIBRATION OF SATELLITE FY-ID SENSORS AT VISIBLE AND NEAR INFRARED CHANNELS

For the problem of in-flight test site radiometric calibration for the FY-1D Meteorological Satellite onboard sensor's visible and near infrared channels,this paper described the calibration method,satellite-ground synchronous observation data acquired at China Dunhuang Calibration Test Site,parameter derivation and radiative transfer computation during the calibration,and the calibration result analysis.At FY-1D seven channels (with central wavelength at Channels 1:630 nm,2:865 nm;6:1610 nm;7:455 nm,8:505 nm;9:555 nm;10:932 nm),calibration coefficients obtained during the ground site calibration were compared with that respectively of pre- launch calibration.It is demonstrated that results of FY-1D onboard two sensors' (A and B) at channels 1,2,6 and 10 were close to pre-calibration,and the absolute difference of Gobi desert reflectance computed using test site and pre-launch calibration coefficients was no more than 2%. At other channels,large pre-launch calibration errors resulted in a poor consistency between the test site and pre-launch calibration.The errors can be corrected by the test site calibration results. Based on a rough estimation,the overall error of the calibration was about 6%. The paper also presented the in-flight vicarious calibration at the visible and near infrared channels of FY-1C sensor A which was launched in 1999 and has been put into operational mode since 2002.The results exhibit that FY-1C sensor's response has 23% attenuation at Channels 7 and 8,while only minor degradation at the other channels was found. During the mission,calibrations were also conducted at NOAA-17's Channels 1 and 2 (1:430 -830 nm,2:500--1072 nm).A very good consistency has been achieved between the test site and pre-launched calibration results.

Outdoor relative radiometric calibration method using gray scale targets

The radiometric calibration of remote sensors is a basis and prerequisite of information quantification in remote sensing. This paper proposes a method for outdoor relative radiometric calibration using gray scale targets. In this method, the idea of two substitutions is adopted. Sunlight is used to replace the integrating sphere light source, and gray scale targets are used to re-place the diffuser. In this way, images at different radiance levels obtained outdoors can calculate the relative radiometric cali-bration coefficients using the least square method. The characteristics of this method are as follows. Firstly, compared with la-boratory calibration, it greatly reduces the complexity of the calibration method and the test cost. Secondly, compared with the existing outdoor relative radiometric calibration of a single radiance level, it uses test images of different radiance levels to re-duce errors. Thirdly, it is easy to operate with fewer environmental requirements, has obvious advantages in the rapid calibra-tion of airborne remote sensors before or after flight and is practical in engineering. This paper theoretically and experimental-ly proves the feasibility of this method. Calibration experiments were conducted on the wide-view multispectral imager (WVMI) using this method, and the precision of this method was evaluated by analyzing the corrected images of large uniform targets on ground. The experiment results have demonstrated that the new method is effective and its precision meets the re-quirement of the absolute radiometric calibration.

Radiometric Cross-Calibration for Multiple Sensors with the Moon as an Intermediate Reference

The instrument cross-calibration is an effective way to assess the quality of satellite data. In this study, a new method is proposed to cross-calibrate the sensors among satellite instruments by using a RObotic Lunar Observatory(ROLO) model and Apollo sample reflectance in reflective solar bands(RSBs). The ROLO model acts as a transfer radiometer to bridge between the instruments. The reflective spectrum of the Apollo sample is used to compensate for the difference in the instrument's relative spectral responses(RSRs). In addition, the double ratio between the observed lunar irradiance and the simulated lunar irradiance is used to reduce the difference in instrument lunar viewing and illumining geometry. This approach is applied to the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS), the Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor(Sea Wi FS), and the Advanced Land Imager(ALI) on board three satellites, respectively. The mean difference between MODIS and Sea Wi FS is less than 3.14%, and the difference between MODIS and ALI is less than 4.75%. These results indicate that the proposed cross-calibration method not only compensates for the RSR mismatches but also reduces the differences in lunar observation geometry. Thus,radiance calibration of any satellite instrument can be validated with a reference instrument bridged by the moon.

Terrain radiometric calibration of airborne UAVSAR for forested area

In the field of biomass estimation,terrain radiometric calibration of airborne polarimetric SAR data for forested areas is an urgent problem.Illuminated area correction ofσ-naught could not completely remove terrain features.Inspired by Small and Shimada,this paper tested gamma-naught on one mountainous forested area using airborne Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar data and found it could remove most terrain features.However,a systematic increasing trend from far range to near range is found in airborne SAR cases.This paper made an attempt to use the relationship between distance to SAR sensor andγ-naught to calibrateγ-naught.Two quantitative evaluation methods are proposed.Experimental results demonstrate that variation ofγ-naught can be constrained to a limited extent from near range to far range.Since this method is based on ground range images,it avoids complicated orthorectification.

Radiometric calibration of hyper-spectral imaging spectrometer based on optimizing multi-spectral band selection

Hyper-spectral imaging spectrometer has high spatial and spectral resolution. Its radiometric calibration needs the knowledge of the sources used with high spectral resolution. In order to satisfy the requirement of source, an on-orbit radiometric calibration method is designed in this paper. This chain is based on the spectral inversion accuracy of the calibration light source. We compile the genetic algorithm progress which is used to optimize the channel design of the transfer radiometer and consider the degradation of the halogen lamp, thus realizing the high accuracy inversion of spectral curve in the whole working time. The experimental results show the average root mean squared error is 0.396%, the maximum root mean squared error is 0.448%, and the relative errors at all wavelengths are within 1% in the spectral range from 500 nm to 900 nm during 100 h operating time. The design lays a foundation for the high accuracy calibration of imaging spectrometer.

敦煌戈壁地表反射率光谱的旋翼无人机测量及定标评估

利用敦煌中国遥感卫星辐射校正场的星地同步观测试验,实现对我国在轨气象、海洋、陆地资源、环境减灾、测绘地震、高分、军事等系列卫星光学成像载荷太阳反射波段的绝对辐射定标,是目前的重要手段之一。然而,中国遥感卫星辐射校正场传统的地表反射率光谱星地同步测量方法是基于汽车跑场观测,不仅耗费较大的人力物力、容易造成场地破坏,而且获取的测量数据缺乏区域代表性。鉴于此,自2016年起,在敦煌星地同步观测试验中以旋翼无人机低空同步测量为主,跑场测量为辅,完成从航线设计、航高选择、仪器参数配置、采样策略、航空数据处理的全链路摸底测试。多次飞行试验表明,采用多旋翼无人机低空飞行来代替汽车跑场同步测量,不仅提高了地表反射特性测量的空间一致性和代表性,还提高了地表反射率光谱的测量效率,也对宝贵的中国遥感卫星辐射校正场敦煌戈壁场区地表进行了有效保护,极大的节约了人力物力成本。通过传统跑场测量和航飞测量的地表反射率光谱数据对比分析,发现多次测量数据的均值一致性较好,并且航飞测量的数据标准差更小。利用TERRA MODIS的同步观测来对无人机测量数据开展辐射定标评估,结果表明航飞数据的相对偏差均在5%以内,可以代替跑场数据完成定标,精度满足要求。随着无人机性能的进一步优化和提高,在不久的将来必将得到更加广泛和深入的应用,在外场定标试验领域也将发挥更大更重要的作用。

基于幂加权最小二乘拟合的红外相机辐射定标方法

分析了现有线性度计算方法的不足,提出基于偏差/测量值的新线性度评价方式,通过该方式最小二乘拟合的低端温度偏差比高端大一个数量级,并采用加权拟合提高系统响应线性度。在分析不同光谱的温度和辐亮度拟合函数基础上,提出一种基于辐亮度倒数幂加权最小二乘线性拟合的地面和星上辐射定标方法,确认最佳权重幂次,建立了幂次n=1的加权最小二乘拟合外黑体线性定标方程、内黑体线性定标方程、内外黑体辐亮度转换模型。针对星上内黑体高精度两点定标建立了基于加权最小二乘拟合内外黑体辐亮度转换模型;针对星上黑体发射率退化提出了基于恒星定标的红外相机星上内黑体辐亮度定标修正方法,建立了外黑体辐亮度、内黑体辐亮度和恒星辐亮度转换模型。采用加权线性拟合后,积分时间10 ms的低温端外黑体反演偏差由1.63 K下降到0.52 K,内黑体偏差反演温度偏差由0.83 K下降到0.39 K,系统响应线性度明显提升。

低空无人机多光谱传感器辐射定标

高精度辐射定标对于无人机遥感数据定量化应用至关重要.以大疆精灵4 RTK多光谱传感器为例,基于多种典型地物和人工靶标,实现了该传感器全动态范围的辐射定标.在开展真实性检验后,探讨了曝光时间和光谱响应函数对定标结果的影响.研究表明,定标结果具有较高的定标精度,各波段RMSE均优于3.25%,且脉冲型光谱响应函数更适用于该传感器.另外,曝光时间会对中高亮度地物产生较大影响,容易出现过饱和现象.

DQ-1宽幅成像光谱仪发射前载荷定标技术

大气环境监测卫星作为国家民用空间基础设施规划中的科研卫星,其遥感应用需求对其载荷的定量化精度要求越来越重要。宽幅成像光谱仪作为大气环境监测卫星中的主要载荷,可获取光谱范围从可见光至长波红外(0 415~12 000μm)的陆表和大气多光谱信息。采用45°扫描镜配合消旋系统的扫描方式,光路结构采用同轴望远镜系统,实现3个探测器焦面上21个谱段的同时对地的超宽幅高空间分辨率成像。为了准确地获取能量和仪器响应之间的定量关系,在卫星发射前开展宽幅成像光谱仪全光路、全口径辐射定标试验,分别介绍了可见到短波谱段积分球定标技术和中长波谱段热真空红外定标技术,为用户定量应用提供了良好的保障,并对定标过程中传递路径下的误差来源及精度进行分析评估。

国产C波段SAR卫星绝对辐射定标精度验证

SAR图像测量地球物理参数,实现定量遥感应用,对辐射定标精度有严格要求,因此需要对SAR卫星进行辐射定标精度验证。通过雷达方程推算出雷达散射截面积、定标常数与图像DN值三者之间的关系,并利用宁夏中卫定标场有源定标器及其SAR图像做定标验证实验。实验结果表明,高分三号02星数据绝对辐射定标精度较高,其中积分法辐射定标精度为0.65 dB,而峰值法定标精度为0.57 dB;海丝1号卫星数据辐射定标精度为1~2 dB,计算定标常数时保持相同波位可有效提高定标常数的稳定性。

基于月球的吉林一号卫星在轨辐射定标研究

为了使吉林一号卫星遥感数据得到更好的应用,利用月球为辐射源对吉林一号光谱卫星进行了在轨绝对辐射定标研究,以对实验室定标系数进行改进。考虑到定标系数具有时效性,将观测数据按时间分组后定标,利用ROLO模型计算卫星观测时刻月球辐照度,构建ROLO模型值与卫星观测值之间的关系并进行最小二乘拟合,从而获得19个谱段的两组定标系数。最后,将定标结果与吉林一号场地定标、高分四号卫星和SeaWiFS月球观测数据进行对比验证。结果表明:对月定标结果稳定,两组定标系数线性拟合的不确定度分别为1.72%和1.24%;在光谱形状上,利用月球定标后月球光谱曲线平滑,光谱形状与月球辐射特性一致,与场地定标相比,各波段相对大小在定性上得到极大改善;在绝对辐射值上,定标结果与高分四号卫星月球辐照度平均相对误差为8.1%,与SeaWiFS两个波段的平均误差为0.90%和7.42%。本研究说明月球定标是卫星在轨辐射定标及真实性检验的有效途径。

多光谱星敏感器的辐射定标与光谱反演

为实现星敏感器对未知空间光环境的测量,提出一种将宽谱段多光谱滤光片装置于星敏感器中的设计,所采集的星图可覆盖星点信息与空间光环境光谱信息,并以此为基础设计了光谱响应定标、辐射定标的实验方案与空间光环境辐亮度分布反演算法。实验结果表明,反演的光环境辐亮度与实测值较为符合,该方法能根据单张星图实时便捷地估算星敏感器应用空间的光环境,可为后续星敏感器的设计优化和观星窗口的选择提供依据。

基于滤光片转轮式多光谱相机的辐射校正

针对近地面多光谱影像获取方式单一、波段配准及数据定量化等问题,介绍一款可野外连续工作、操作简单、波段易配准的自研滤光片转轮式多光谱相机,并通过实验室内高精度积分球完成相对辐射校正和绝对辐射定标。采用多级亮度定标法和经验线性法建立校正模型,对多光谱相机多波段响应不均问题进行校正,并标定计算得到入瞳处的波谱辐射亮度。设计了不同亮度、不同积分时间的数据采集和处理实验,给出这款新相机各波段的最优积分时间范围。辐射校正和定标结果显示,所选校正系数对不同成像条件的多光谱影像具有高度的稳定性和可靠性,适合滤光片转轮式多光谱相机的辐射校正,定标结果可用于定量反演地表的目标参量,在农作物监测、环境监测与保护等领域具有广阔的应用前景。

基于夜光数据的大气遥感研究进展

随着美国国防气象卫星(DMSP)、苏奥米国家极地轨道伙伴卫星(Suomi NPP)等一系列夜间微光遥感卫星的发射,夜间微光遥感得到越来越多的学者关注。国内外学者不断探索微光数据在定量遥感中的应用,但基于夜光数据的大气遥感研究成果的系统性整理和总结的研究却相对较少。基于此,对过去20年基于夜间微光数据在大气遥感中的研究进行了全面的综述。从微光成像仪辐射定标、微光辐射传输模型以及基于微光数据的大气参数研究三个方面总结归纳了夜间微光卫星遥感定量化研究的进展,梳理了微光数据在大气遥感研究中的应用现状与特点,以期为夜间微光数据在大气遥感的深入研究中提供有价值的参考。