Hyperspectral Remote Sensing Applications

Hyperspectral data has been used to identify and distinguish spectrally similar materials having characteristic reflectance spectra. Due to the capability of distinguishing various ground objects in detail, hyperspectral datasets are able to detect and map a wide variety of materials.
•Mineral Targeting: Spectral reflectance in visible and near-infrared offers a rapid and inexpensive technique for determining the mineralogy of samples and obtaining information on chemical composition.
•Soils: Obtaining quantitative information about soil chemistry, its genetic and fertility classification. Study of soil parameters such as organic matter, soil moisture, particle size distribution iron oxide content, soil structure etc. The hyperspectral data with improved radiometric and spatial resolution will help in deriving an improved vegetation/soil indices that will maximize sensitivity to plant biophysical parameters, increase sensitivity to the vegetation signal and normalize atmosphere and ground contamination noise influence.
•Vegetation: Study of species diversity, environmental stress, physiological features such as photosynthetic activity, plant productivity, canopy biochemistry, biomass and plant transpiration. Also for evaluation of vegetation stress, nutrient stress, moisture stress and crop growth models.
•Atmosphere: Study of atmospheric parameters such as clouds, aerosol conditions and water vapor monitoring, large scale atmospheric variations as a result of environmental change.
•Oceanography: Measurement of photosynthetic potential by detection of phytoplankton, detection of yellow substance and detection of suspended matter. It also helps in investigations of water quality, monitoring coastal erosion.
•Snow and Ice: Spatial distribution of various types of snow cover, surface albedo and snow water equivalent. Calculation of energy balance of a snow pack, estimation of snow properties-snow grain size, snow depth and liquid water content.
•Oil Spills: When oil spills in an area affected by wind, waves, and tides, a rapid and assessment of the damage can help to maximize the cleanup efforts. Environmentally sensitive areas can be targeted for protection and cleanup, and the long-term damage can be minimized. Time sequence images of the oil can guide efforts in real-time by providing relative concentrations and accurate locations