Special Section Guest Editorial: Hyperspectral Imaging Systems

Since the time of Newton and Hershel, humans have understood that light can communicate beyond what can only be seen, and over the next 300 years, remote sensing of spectroradiometric information has been perfected by astronomers. In the last 50 years, those methods and techniques have been turned nadir, to better understand the inner space of earth. Compared to astronomy, hyperspectral remote sensing for earth science is in its infancy, but the rate at which it has accelerated our knowledge of forestry, agriculture, bathymetry, and geology, to name a few, will continue to grow exponentially as the challenges facing mankind require more optimal uses of natural resources.