Examples of EO-1 Hyperion Data Analysis

Abstract : The EO-1 satellite is part of NASA's New Millennium Program (NMP). It consists of three imaging sensors: the multispectral Advanced Land Imager (ALI), Hyperion, and Atmospheric Corrector. Hyperion provides a high-resolution hyperspectral imager capable of resolving 220 spectral bands (from 0.4 to 2.5 micron) with a 30-m resolution. The instrument images a 7.5 km by 100 km land area per image. Hyperion is currently the only spaceborne HSI data source since the launch of EO-1 in late 2000. A cloud-cover detection algorithm was developed for application to EO-1 Hyperion hyperspectral data. The algorithm uses only bands in the reflected solar spectral regions to discriminate clouds from surface features and was designed to be used on board the EO-1 satellite as part of the EO-1 Extended Mission Phase of the EO-1 Science Program. The cloud-cover algorithm uses only 6 bands to discriminate clouds from other bright surface features such as snow, ice, and desert sand. The technique was developed using 20 Hyperion scenes with varying cloud amount, cloud type, underlying surface characteristics, and seasonal conditions. Results from the application of the algorithm to these test scenes are given with a discussion on the accuracy of the procedure used in the cloud cover discrimination. Compared to subjective estimates of the scene cloud cover, the algorithm was typically within a few percent of the estimated total cloud cover.