What is Hyperspectral Data?
There is no clear definition for hyperspectral data. The most
important characteristic of the data is that it contains a large
number of narrow spectral channels from the optical wavelength range.
The number of
channels can vary from several tens of channels to hundreds of
channels. The width of one channel in the visible light range is from
perhaps one nanometer to 20 nanometers. The channel width may be
larger in the SWIR (ShortWave InfraRed) and thermal wavelength range.
The advantage of hyperspectral data is that narrow spectral features
can be used to give more information from the target than is possible
with the wide bands used by the multispectral channels. How useful
these narrow channels are remains to be seen. The disadvantages of
hyperspectral data are that the
atmospheric correction and the processing
of the information are more difficult than with multispectral data.
[METLA] [National Forest Inventory]
[AISA]
KM, August 30, 1995.