Title :
Gimbaled, high resolution, city-level, thermal Infrared mapping from an Airship platform
Author :
Xiuhong Sun ; Eichholz, James ; Fischer, Robert L. ; Shu, Peter ; Jhabvala, Murzy
Author_Institution :
NextGen Imaging Technol. Inc. (NGIT), Windham, NH, USA
Abstract :
A pilot effort adapting a gimbaled Long-Wavelength InfraRed (LWIR) imaging system prototype to the U.S. Navy MZ-3A Airship for high resolution thermal mapping of Baltimore, Maryland, has been performed. Using gimbaled step-staring imaging technologies, the swath-width of a small format, 320 by 256 pixel, 30μm pitch, Quantum Well Infrared Photodetector (QWIP) camera utilizing a 50mm lens has been effectively tripled. QWIP data collected from an airship platform resulted in a 60cm Ground Sample Distance (GSD) high quality LWIR thermal image with a 500m swath-width. The aerial LWIR images collected by the gimbaled system are geospatially accurate and rapidly deliverable for GIS mapping applications.
Keywords :
airships; cameras; geographic information systems; infrared detectors; infrared imaging; lenses; photodetectors; quantum well devices; GIS mapping applications; GSD; LWIR imaging system prototype; LWIR thermal image; QWIP camera; U.S. Navy MZ-3A airship; aerial LWIR images; distance 60 cm; gimbaled step staring imaging technology; gimbaled system; ground sample distance; high resolution thermal mapping; lens; long wavelength infrared; quantum well infrared photodetector; size 50 mm; size 500 m; Cameras; Cities and towns; Image resolution; Lenses; Ocean temperature; Sensors; LWIR; QWIP; aerial imaging; airship; geospatial; gimbal;
Conference_Titel :
Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS), 2014 IEEE International
Conference_Location :
Quebec City, QC
DOI :
10.1109/IGARSS.2014.6946691
