Leading remote sensing scientists from across the U.S. and around the world gathered in Washington, D.C. from 16-18 October 2012 to attend the 5th annual HyspIRI Science Workshop. Discussion at the workshop centered on NASA’s HyspIRI instrument, providing the latest information on mission specifications and science objectives. As an open workshop, the meeting also offered a valuable opportunity for the remote sensing community to exchange ideas and make suggestions for improving and expanding HyspIRI’s global science impact.
Rob Green (NASA JPL) and Woody Turner (NASA HQ) answer audience questions
The HyspIRI instrument consists of two complementary sensor systems. One sensor is a visible to short wave infrared (VSWIR) imaging spectrometer, covering the spectral range from 380-2500nm at a 10nm sampling interval. The other sensor is an eight-channel thermal infrared (TIR) multispectral scanner, covering wavelengths between 4-12μm. The VSWIR sensor will provide repeat global coverage every 19 days, and the TIR sensor will have repeat coverage every 5 days, both at 60m spatial resolution. Acquisitions at this full spatial resolution will include the majority of the Earth’s land surface as well as coastal regions to a depth of 50m, while the deep ocean will be delivered at 1km spatial resolution.
Imaging spectrometry, a.k.a. hyperspectral imaging, is a robust remote sensing discipline with an outstanding heritage of science applications. It has been utilized extensively in Earth observation, as well as developing a high resolution mineralogical map of the lunar surface. Measurements are achieved by sampling the electromagnetic spectrum across a series of narrow contiguous wavebands and utilizing the resulting ‘spectral signature’ to identify and classify components in the image. The HyspIRI instrument provides a unique combination of these robust spectral analysis capabilities with multispectral thermal measurements.
The motivation behind the HyspIRI mission stems from recommendations made in the Earth Science Decadal Survey for an imaging spectrometer to be included in U.S. satellite development plans during the next decade. The lineage behind HyspIRI includes NASA’s highly successful airborne AVIRIS program, which has ably demonstrated the value of imaging spectrometry across a broad array of Earth science applications. HyspIRI also builds on the past success, and surprising longevity, of NASA’s Hyperion instrument, which established the feasibility and advantages of acquiring imaging spectrometry data from a satellite platform. As a global mapping mission, HyspIRI will improve on this past success, enabling an unprecedented capability for advanced remote sensing applications around the world.
Presentations from the HyspIRI Science Workshop and information on the HyspIRI mission can be found at http://hyspiri.jpl.nasa.gov/
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