Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

How to Specify an Electro-optical Earth Observation Camera? A Review of the Terminologies Used and its Interpretation

  • Cover Article
  • Published:
Journal of the Indian Society of Remote Sensing Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Since the launch of Landsat-1 in 1972, several earth observation satellites have been launched by government and private agencies. To select the optimum data for a specific application and for combining data from different sources require good clarity and understanding of various specifications provided by the sensor manufacturers. Many of the sensor parameters are not unambiguously defined in the product data-sheet. The paper reviews how the specifications adopted to describe various performance parameters of earth observation electro-optical camera are understood, and addresses the need for consistency in defining various specifications. The paper also proposes a figure-of-merit to compare various cameras for its target discrimination capability. A possible standard set of specifications are suggested, to be provided by all camera developers which would benefit both developers and users of such instruments.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Adapted from https://www.dxomark.com/glossary/color-depth/)

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Baghdadi, N., & Zribi, M. (2016). Optical remote sensing of land surfaces: Techniques and methods. Amsterdam: ISTE Press - Elsevier.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bhatt, R., Doelling, D., Haney, C., Scarino, B., & Gopalan, A. (2018). Consideration of radiometric quantization error in satellite sensor cross-calibration. Remote Sensing,10(7), 1131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blanc, P., & Wald, L. (2009). A review of earth-viewing methods for in-flight assessment of modulation transfer function and noise of optical space borne sensors. HAL Id: hal-00745076 https://hal-mines-paristech.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00745076. Accessed 14 October 2019.

  • Boreman, G. D. (2001). Modulation transfer function in optical and electro-optical systems (Vol. 4). Bellingham, WA: SPIE Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Cui, T., Ding, J., Jia, F., Mu, B., Liu, R., Xu, P., et al. (2018). Out-of-band response for the coastal zone imager (CZI) Onboard China’s ocean color satellite HY-1C: Effect on the observation just above the sea surface. Sensors,18(9), 3067.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Driggers, R. G. (Ed.). (2003). Encyclopedia of optical engineering: Las-Pho, pages 1025–2048 (Vol. 2). Boca Raton: CRC Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dove Constellation. (2019). Dove satellite constellation. Retrieved September 12, 2019, from https://www.satimagingcorp.com/satellite-sensors/other-satellite-sensors/dove-3m/.

  • Fiete, R. D. (2007). Image chain analysis for space imaging systems. Journal of Imaging Science and Technology,51(2), 103–109.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fiete, R. D., & Tantalo, T. A. (2001). Comparison of SNR image quality metrics for remote sensing systems. Optical Engineering, 40, 574–585.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gibson, P. (2000). Introductory remote sensing principles and concepts. Abingdon: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hein, A. G. A. G. I. (2017). A systems analysis of cubesat constellations with distributed sensors (Doctoral dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology).

  • Johnson, B. R., McGlinchy, J., Cattau, M., Joseph, M., & Scholl, V. (2018). Harnessing commercial satellite technologies to monitor our forests. In W. Gao, et al. (Eds.), Remote sensing and modeling of ecosystems for sustainability XV (Vol. 10767). Bellingham: SPIE - International Society for Optics and Photonics.

    Google Scholar 

  • Joseph, G. (2000). How well do we understand Earth observation electro-optical sensor parameters? ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing,55(1), 9–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Joseph, G. (2015). Building earth observation cameras. Boca Raton: CRC Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Joseph, G., & Jeganathan, C. (2018). Fundamentals of remote sensing. Hyderabad: Universities Press (India) Private Limited.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leachtenauer, J. C., & Driggers, R. G. (2001). Surveillance and reconnaissance imaging systems: modeling and performance prediction. Artech House

  • Leger, D., Viallefont, F., Deliot, P., & Valorge, C. (2004). On-orbit MTF assessment of satellite cameras (pp. 67–76). London: Taylor & Francis Group.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morfitt, R., Barsi, J., Levy, R., Markham, B., Micijevic, E., Ong, L., et al. (2015). Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) radiometric performance on-orbit. Remote Sensing,7(2), 2208–2237.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Norwood, V. T. (1974). Balance between resolution and signal-to-noise ratio in scanner design for earth resources systems. Proceedings of SPIE,51, 37–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pagnutti, M., Ryan, R. E., Kelly, M., Holekamp, K., Zanoni, V., Thome, K., et al. (2003). Radiometric characterization of IKONOS multispectral imagery. Remote Sensing of Environment,88(1–2), 53–68.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Palmer, J. M. (1984). Effective bandwidths for LANDSAT-4 and LANDSAT-D’ multispectral scanner and thematic mapper subsystems. IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing,22(3), 336–338.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pandya, M. R., Murali, K. R., & Kirankumar, A. S. (2013). Quantification and comparison of spectral characteristics of sensors on board Resourcesat-1 and Resourcesat-2 satellites. Remote Sensing Letters,4(3), 306–314.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Qian, S. E. (2013). Optical satellite signal processing and enhancement. Bellingham, WA: SPIE Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Ren, H., Du, C., Liu, R., Qin, Q., Yan, G., Li, Z. L., et al. (2014). Noise evaluation of early images for Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager. Optics Express,22(22), 27270–27280.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reulke, R., & Weichelt, H. (2012). SNR evaluation of the RapidEye space-borne cameras. Photogrammetrie-Fernerkundung-Geoinformation,2012(1), 29–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Syafrudin, H., Hasbi, W., & Rahman, A. (2013). Camera payload systems for LAPAN-A2 experimental microsatellite. In Proceedings of 34th ACRS, Bali, Indonesia.

  • Tedesco, M. (2014). Remote sensing of the cryosphere. Hoboken: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Teubner, U., & Brückner, H. J. (2019). Optical imaging and photography. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter GmbH.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Triana, J. S., Bautista, S., & González, F. A. D. (2015). Identification of design considerations for small satellite remote sensing systems in low earth orbit. Journal of Aerospace Technology and Management,7(1), 121–134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou, G., Li, C., Yue, T., Jiang, L., Liu, N., Sun, Y., et al. (2015). An overview of in-orbit radiometric calibration of typical satellite sensors. International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing & Spatial Information Sciences, 40, 235–240.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

I am thankful to a number of my colleagues in ISRO for critically going through the paper and giving valuable suggestions.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Space Applications Centre, ISRO, Ahmedabad, 380053, India

    George Joseph

Authors
  1. George Joseph
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to George Joseph.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Joseph, G. How to Specify an Electro-optical Earth Observation Camera? A Review of the Terminologies Used and its Interpretation. J Indian Soc Remote Sens 48, 171–180 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12524-020-01105-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12524-020-01105-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation