Thomas Schwarzmaier

Characterisation methods for the hyperspectral sensor HySpex at DLR’s calibration home base

The German Aerospace Center’s (DLR) Remote Sensing Technology Institute (IMF) operates a laboratory for the characterisation of imaging spectrometers. Originally designed as Calibration Home Base (CHB) for the imaging spectrometer APEX, the laboratory can be used to characterise nearly every airborne hyperspectral system. Characterisation methods will be demonstrated exemplarily with HySpex, an airborne imaging spectrometer system from Norsk Elektro Optikks A/S (NEO). Consisting of two separate devices (VNIR-1600 and SWIR-320me) the setup covers the spectral range from 400 nm to 2500 nm. Both airborne sensors have been characterised at NEO. This includes measurement of spectral and spatial resolution and misregistration, polarisation sensitivity, signal to noise ratios and the radiometric response. The same parameters have been examined at the CHB and were used to validate the NEO measurements. Additionally, the line spread functions (LSF) in across and along track direction and the spectral response functions (SRF) for certain detector pixels were measured. The high degree of lab automation allows the determination of the SRFs and LSFs for a large amount of sampling points. Despite this, the measurement of these functions for every detector element would be too time-consuming as typical detectors have 105 elements. But with enough sampling points it is possible to interpolate the attributes of the remaining pixels. The knowledge of these properties for every detector element allows the quantification of spectral and spatial misregistration (smile and keystone) and a better calibration of airborne data. Further laboratory measurements are used to validate the models for the spectral and spatial properties of the imaging spectrometers. Compared to the future German spaceborne hyperspectral Imager EnMAP, the HySpex sensors have the same or higher spectral and spatial resolution. Therefore, airborne data will be used to prepare for and validate the spaceborne system’s data.

Independent Laboratory Characterization of NEO HySpex Imaging Spectrometers VNIR-1600 and SWIR-320m-e

The Remote Sensing Technology Institute (Institut fur Methodik der Fernerkundung) of the German Aerospace Agency (DLR) operates two sensors for airborne hyperspectral imaging, i.e., a Norsk Elektro Optikk A/S (NEO) HySpex VNIR-1600 and a NEO HySpex SWIR-320m-e. Since these sensors are used for the development of physically based inversion algorithms, atmospheric correction algorithms and for calibration/ validation activities, their properties need to be characterized in detail, and an accurate calibration is mandatory. The characterization is performed at the calibration laboratory of DLR for imaging spectrometers in Oberpfaffenhofen. Key results of the characterization are assessments of the radiometric, spectral, and geometric performances, including the typical optical distortions prevalent in pushbroom imaging spectrometers, keystone and smile, and the associated measurement uncertainties. Potential sources of systematic error, the detector nonlinearity and the polarization sensitivity are discussed. The radiometric calibration is traceably performed to the German national metrology institute Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, whereas the spectral measurements can be traced back to the spectral properties of atomic line lamps. The implemented level 0 to level 1 calibration procedure is presented as well.

The Radiance Standard RASTA of DLR's calibration facility for airborne imaging spectrometers

The German Aerospace Center (DLR) operates the Calibation Home Base (CHB) as a facility for the calibration of airborne imaging spectrometers and for field spectrometers. Until recently, absolute radiometric calibration was based on an integrating sphere that is traceable to SI units through calibration at the German Metrology Institute PTB. However, the stability of the radiance output was not monitored regularly and reliably. This was the motivation to develop a new radiance standard (RASTA) which allows monitoring in the wavelength range from 380 to 2500 nm. Radiance source is a diffuse reflector illuminated by a tungsten halogen lamp. Five radiometers mounted in a special geometry are used for monitoring. This setup improves twofold the uncertainty assessment compared to the previously used integrating sphere. Firstly, lamp irradiance and panel reflectance have been calibrated at PTB additionally to the radiance of the complete system. This calibration redundancy allows to detect systematic errors and to reduce calibration uncertainty. Secondly, the five radiometers form a redundant control system to measure changes of the spectral radiance. This enables long-time monitoring of the radiance source including assessment of the uncertainty caused by aging processes. Further advantages concern the reduction of periods of non-availability, applicability to sensors with larger field of view, and the possibility to alter intensity and spectral shape in a well-known way by exchanging the reflector. RASTA has been calibrated at PTB in November 2011 in the wavelength range from 350 to 2500 nm.

Calibration of a monochromator using a lambdameter

The standard procedure for wavelength calibration of monochromators in the visible and near infrared wavelength range uses low-pressure gas discharge lamps with spectrally well-known emission lines as primary wavelength standard. The calibration of a monochromator in the wavelength range of 350 to 2500 nm usually takes some days due to the huge number of single measurements necessary. The useable emission lines are not for all purposes sufficiently dense and at the appropriate wavelengths. To get faster results for freely selectable wavelengths, a new method for monochromator characterization was tested. It is based on measurements with a lambdameter taken at equidistant angles distributed over the gratings entire angular range. This method provides a very accurate calibration and needs only about two hours of measuring time.