The High Accuracy Atmospheric Correction for Hyperspectral Data (HATCH) model

The High-accuracy Atmospheric Correction for Hyperspectral Data (HATCH) model was developed for deriving high-quality surface reflectance spectra from remotely sensed hyperspectral imaging data. This paper presents the novel techniques applied in HATCH. An innovative technique, a "smoothness test" for water vapor amount retrieval and for automatic spectral calibration, is developed for HATCH. HATCH also includes an original fast radiative transfer equation solver and a correlated-k gaseous absorption model based on HITRAN 2000 database. Spectral regions with overlapping absorptions by different gases are handled by precomputing a correlated-k lookup table for various gas mixing ratios. The interaction between multiple scattering and absorption is explicitly handled through the use of the correlated-k method for gaseous absorption. Finally, some results are presented for HATCH applied to Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectoradiometer data and together with comparison of the results between HATCH and the Atmosphere Removal program. The limitations in HATCH include that the HATCH assumes a Lambertian surface, and adjacent effect is not considered. HATCH assumes aerosols to be spatially homogeneous in a scene.