Imaging Spectrometry -- a Tool for Environmental Observations

The technique of imaging spectrometry has now passed its infancy and entered into a new phase of application oriented research. Advanced sensor systems (such as Nasa/JPL's AVIRIS) have become available for international research programmes (MAC Europe 1991), new imaging spectrometers are under development in several European countries or have already passed their acceptance tests, and first high spectral resolution imaging systems are already operated by private industry. On European level, the EARSEC programme of the Joint Research Centre has provided considerable financial investments for the development of an imaging spectrometer which covers the reflective and important parts of the emissive spectrum (DAIS-7915), and the European Space Agency has initiated an important airborne remote sensing campaign (EMAC 1994/95) in which imaging spectrometry will constitute one of the most important components. The increasing sensor capabilities also reflect the fact that imaging spectrometry has advanced in many application fields of earth remote sensing. Progress has been made in the development of data pre-proeessing methods, spectral signature modeling and semi-empirical approaches for retrieving surface parameters. It therefore appeared important to further disseminate information about new approaches in the application-oriented analysis of imaging spectrometry data. This volume presents the lectures of the second EUROCOURSE on imaging spectrometry which was held in November 1992 at the Joint Research Centre (a first course on "Fundamentals and Prospective Applications" of imaging spectrometry had been organised in October 1989, the lectures being published as EUROCOURSES in Remote Sensing, vol. 2).