Fast Analysis of Ultraspectral Measurements of Chemical Plumes--Spectral Sciences, Inc., 99 South Bedford Street, #7, Burlington, MA 01803-5153; 781-273-4770
Dr. Marsha J. Fox, Principal Investigator
Dr. Fritz Bien, Business Official
DOE Grant No. DE-FG02-99ER82889
Amount: $750,000

The timely detection, identification, and quantification of chemical plumes, using ultraspectral sensors from air- or space-borne platforms is needed for national security applications. For accurate plume analysis, atmospheric correction is critical, especially at low concentrations and temperatures. This project will develop plume detection and quantification algorithms, including atmospheric correction, for integration into a versatile hyperspectral data analysis package for use by data analysts. In Phase I, a physical model of the plume/atmosphere/ground interaction was mathematically formulated. Ultraspectral scenes containing plumes were simulated, and the detection and quantification concept was demonstrated with atmospheric correction. Improved performance and accurate plume quantification was shown to outperform methods that ignore atmospheric correction. Phase II will develop a software toolkit for the data analyst to perform fast analysis using advanced detection and quantification algorithms, and to accurately model atmosphere and scene parameters. The toolkit will include atmospheric correction and chemical analysis utilities, a scene simulation utility, and a high spectral resolution atmospheric modeling utility.

Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: Applications include remote sensing for precision agriculture, mineral detection, forest fire characterization, pollution characterization and control, drug interdiction and national security systems.