Lucien Wald

Comparison of Pansharpening Algorithms: Outcome of the 2006 GRS-S Data-Fusion Contest

In January 2006, the Data Fusion Committee of the IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society launched a public contest for pansharpening algorithms, which aimed to identify the ones that perform best. Seven research groups worldwide participated in the contest, testing eight algorithms following different philosophies [component substitution, multiresolution analysis (MRA), detail injection, etc.]. Several complete data sets from two different sensors, namely, QuickBird and simulated Pleiades, were delivered to all participants. The fusion results were collected and evaluated, both visually and objectively. Quantitative results of pansharpening were possible owing to the availability of reference originals obtained either by simulating the data collected from the satellite sensor by means of higher resolution data from an airborne platform, in the case of the Pleiades data, or by first degrading all the available data to a coarser resolution and saving the original as the reference, in the case of the QuickBird data. The evaluation results were presented during the special session on data fusion at the 2006 international geoscience and remote sensing symposium in Denver, and these are discussed in further detail in this paper. Two algorithms outperform all the others, the visual analysis being confirmed by the quantitative evaluation. These two methods share the same philosophy: they basically rely on MRA and employ adaptive models for the injection of high-pass details.

A method for the determination of the global solar radiation from meteorological satellite data

Abstract A statistical method is presented for the determination of the global solar radiation at ground level. It makes use of data from the meteorological satellites, which provide extensive coverage as well as adequante ground resolution. In the first step, a reference map of ground albedo is deduced from the time-sequence of satellite images. Then, by comparing the satellite data with the computed albedo map, a cloud coverage index is determined for each ground point of 5 km × 5 km. This index is linearly correlated to the atmospheric transiission factor. The regression parameters are estimated using a training set provided by ground pyranometers. Tests for two different time periods show a good agreement between the actual and model-derived hourly global radiation.

Some terms of reference in data fusion

This paper discusses the needs for a concept and harmonized terms of reference in data fusion. Previously published definitions are analyzed. A new definition of the data fusion is proposed which has been set within an European working group. Several definitions and terms of reference are given which describe the information intervening in any problem of data fusion.

On the clear sky model of the ESRA - european solar radiation atlas - with respect to the heliosat method

Abstract This paper presents a clear-sky model, which has been developed in the framework of the new digital European Solar Radiation Atlas (ESRA). This ESRA model is described and analysed with the main objective of being used to estimate solar radiation at ground level from satellite images with the Heliosat method. Therefore it is compared to clear-sky models that have already been used in the Heliosat method. The diffuse clear-sky irradiation estimated by this ESRA model and by other models has been also checked against ground measurements, for different ranges of the Linke turbidity factor and solar elevation. The results show that the ESRA model is the best one with respect to robustness and accuracy. The r.m.s. error in the estimation of the hourly diffuse irradiation ranges from 11 Wh m −2 to 35 Wh m −2 for diffuse irradiation up to 250 Wh m −2 . The good results obtained with such a model are due to the fact that it takes into account the Linke turbidity factor and the elevation of the site, two factors that influence the incoming solar radiation. In return, it implies the knowledge of these factors at each pixel of the satellite image for the application of the Heliosat method.

Synthesis of Multispectral Images to High Spatial Resolution: A Critical Review of Fusion Methods Based on Remote Sensing Physics

Our framework is the synthesis of multispectral images (MS) at higher spatial resolution, which should be as close as possible to those that would have been acquired by the corresponding sensors if they had this high resolution. This synthesis is performed with the help of a high spatial but low spectral resolution image: the panchromatic (Pan) image. The fusion of the Pan and MS images is classically referred as pan-sharpening. A fused product reaches good quality only if the characteristics and differences between input images are taken into account. Dissimilarities existing between these two data sets originate from two causes-different times and different spectral bands of acquisition. Remote sensing physics should be carefully considered while designing the fusion process. Because of the complexity of physics and the large number of unknowns, authors are led to make assumptions to drive their development. Weaknesses and strengths of each reported method are raised and confronted to these physical constraints. The conclusion of this critical survey of literature is that the choice in the assumptions for the development of a method is crucial, with the risk to drastically weaken fusion performance. It is also shown that the Amelioration de la Resolution Spatiale par Injection de Structures concept prevents from introducing spectral distortion into fused products and offers a reliable framework for further developments.

Image Fusion - The ARSIS concept and some successful implementation schemes

This article aims at explaining the ARSIS concept. By fusing two sets of images A and B, one with a high spatial resolution, the other with a low spatial resolution and different spectral bands, the ARSIS concept permits to synthesise the dataset B at the resolution of A that is as close as possible to reality. It is based on the assumption that the missing information is linked to the high frequencies in the sets A and B. It searches a relationship between the high frequencies in the multispectral set B and the set A and models this relationship. The general problem for the synthesis is presented first. The general properties of the fused product are given. Then, the ARSIS concept is discussed. The general scheme for the implementation of a method belonging to this concept is presented. Then, this article intends to help practitioners and researchers to better understand this concept through practical details about implementations. Two Multiscale Models are described as well as two Inter-Band Structure Models (IBSM). They are applied to an Ikonos image as an illustration case. The fused products are assessed by means of a known protocol comprising a series of qualitative and quantitative tests. The products are found of satisfactory quality. This case illustrates the differences existing between the various models, their advantages and limits. Tracks for future improvements are discussed.

A Critical Comparison Among Pansharpening Algorithms

Pansharpening aims at fusing a multispectral and a panchromatic image, featuring the result of the processing with the spectral resolution of the former and the spatial resolution of the latter. In the last decades, many algorithms addressing this task have been presented in the literature. However, the lack of universally recognized evaluation criteria, available image data sets for benchmarking, and standardized implementations of the algorithms makes a thorough evaluation and comparison of the different pansharpening techniques difficult to achieve. In this paper, the authors attempt to fill this gap by providing a critical description and extensive comparisons of some of the main state-of-the-art pansharpening methods. In greater details, several pansharpening algorithms belonging to the component substitution or multiresolution analysis families are considered. Such techniques are evaluated through the two main protocols for the assessment of pansharpening results, i.e., based on the full- and reduced-resolution validations. Five data sets acquired by different satellites allow for a detailed comparison of the algorithms, characterization of their performances with respect to the different instruments, and consistency of the two validation procedures. In addition, the implementation of all the pansharpening techniques considered in this paper and the framework used for running the simulations, comprising the two validation procedures and the main assessment indexes, are collected in a MATLAB toolbox that is made available to the community.

A web service for controlling the quality of measurements of global solar irradiation

The control of the quality of irradiation data is often a prerequisite to their further processing. Though data are usually controlled by meteorological offices, the sources are so numerous that the user often faces time-series of measurements containing questionable values. As customers of irradiation data, we established our own procedures to screen time-series of measurements. Since this problem of quality control is of concern to many researchers and engineers and since it is often a lengthy and tedious task, we decided to make this screening procedure available to everyone as a web service. This service is the purpose of this paper. The objective is not to perform a precise and fine control, an objective out of reach without details on the site and instruments, but to perform a likelihood control of the data and to check their plausibility. This is achieved by comparing observations with some expectations based upon the extraterrestrial irradiation and a simulation of the irradiation for clear skies. This service is available to everyone on the Web site www.helioclim.net. It offers a very convenient means to check time-series of irradiation: data are input in a HTML page by a copy and paste procedure and the return is also a HTML page that can be analyzed in detail for the data flagged as suspicious.

The wavelet transform for the analysis of remotely sensed images

The wavelet transform is a mathematical tool allowing an image to be decomposed in terms of its structures and characteristic scales. This transform is reviewed briefly and applied to a remotely sensed image. Perspectives for the analysis and processing of remotely sensed images are presented.

The HelioClim Project: Surface Solar Irradiance Data for Climate Applications

Abstract: Meteosat satellite images are processed to yield values of the incoming surface solar irradiance (SSI), one of the Essential Climate Variables. Two HelioClim databases, HC-1 and HC-3, were constructed covering Europe, Africa and the Atlantic Ocean, and contain daily and monthly means of SSI. The HC-1 database spans from 1985 to 2005; HC-3 began in 2004 and is updated daily. Their quality and limitations in retrieving monthly means of SSI have been studied by a comparison between eleven stations offering long time-series of measurements. A good agreement was observed for each site: bias was less than 10 W/m² in absolute value (5% in relative value) for HC-3. HC-1 offers a similar quality, though it underestimates the SSI for latitudes greater than 45° and less than −45°. Time-series running from 1985 to date can be created by concatenating the HC-1 and HC-3 values and could help in assessing SSI and its changes. Keywords: solar radiation; solar irradiance; solar exposure; climate; Africa; Europe; Atlantic Ocean; remote sensing; long-term analysis; Meteosat