FEATURE: HYPERSPECTRAL
Why hyperspectral Earth imaging has a bright future
A boom in satellite activity and capability is attracting more entrants and driving a giant leap forward in technological capacity, reports Andrei Mihai
W
hen the first observation satellites were launched, it was a game-changer. Suddenly, we
could see our planet like never before. But while images in the visual spectrum can be useful, there is also a lot to see in data from other spectral bands. Hyperspectral satellites scan tens
or hundreds of bands of light, offering information on the material composition of surface materials, as well as biological or oceanographical phenomena. This is not a new application.
Hyperspectral Earth monitoring has been around for a few decades. But like many other satellite applications, it has started to boom in the past couple of years. “For many years, hyperspectral data
availability could be compared to an oasis in the desert… amazing data sets collected by a limited number of airborne sensors over select targeted study areas,” says James Goodman, President and CEO of HySpeed Computing. “But fast forward to today, and we are witnessing
“Space-based hyperspectral data is a long- awaited dataset”
profound growth in hyperspectral imaging, most notably the recent rise in both government and commercial hyperspectral satellites.” Indeed, satellite numbers are increasing
year after year. Unsurprisingly, the big space agencies (such as NASA or ESA) were the pioneers. Nowadays, both agencies have hyperspectral satellites for various environmental observations and are even using hyperspectral data to monitor climate change. However, the industry is no longer
restricted to big players. As the technology evolves, its accessibility
12 IMAGING AND MACHINE VISION EUROPE DECEMBER 2023/JANUARY 2024
and applications broaden, becoming more and more accessible.
Hyperspectral democratisation “Achieving the full potential of what hyperspectral imaging can deliver required a shift not just to greater availability of affordable quality airborne sensors, but also widespread adoption within the satellite domain,” says Goodman. With the increased spatial and temporal
data availability, the capacity for large- scale data acquisition becomes a reality. This means that hyperspectral imaging can now address comprehensive regional and global sensing applications. Adrian Zevenbergen, CEO of European Space Imaging (EUSI), says we are seeing a new dawn for Earth observation. “Space-based hyperspectral data is
a long-awaited dataset. While some satellites already have high-resolution SWIR capabilities and others have lower resolution hyperspectral with dozens of bands, we are just now seeing the
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