CAESAR: CCD Airborne Experimental Scanner for Applications in Remote Sensing

CAESAR: CCD Airborne Experimental Scanner for Applications in Remote Sensing

Bunnik, N.J.J.
Pouwels, H.
Smorenburg, C.
van Valkenburg, A.L.G.

National Aerospace Laboratory NLR

1986-04-23

In the framework of the Dutch national remote sensing programme, an airborne multispectral scanner based on the use of CCD detectors has been developed and tested. The objectives of the project were to obtain technical experience with the electro-optical properties of commercially available CCD's and to provide the user community with a versatile airborne system to be used in experimental remote sensing programmes. Starting from user requirements for land and sea observation a trade-off has been made between the complexity of the optical system and its related development cost. Because of the existing constraints with respect to the sensor size, a modular design consisting of A three-channel CCD cameras has been chosen. By means of exchangeable filters different configurations for land and sea observation are available. Besides narrow band spectral filters for land observation, broadband correlation filters have been developed as an option. A forward-looking camera can be used for the acquisition of bidirectional multispectral data. The sensor signals are digitized in 12 bit words in order to cover the full dynamic range with high radiometric resolution. Several selections can be made for a long track integration time, swath width and radiometric resolution. Auxiliary data on flight velocity and aircraft attitude are registered together with digital image data on high density digital tape with a maximum data rate of about 8M bits per sec. Preflight relative and absolute calibrations for each detector element have been performed. By means of a dark current correction, calibration and aircraft attitude data, system geometric and radiometric corrections are applied prior to digital analysis. Results of test flights executed over land and sea sites are presented in order to demonstrate the performance and flexibility of CAESAR.

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:691daf75-8885-44e7-8d0a-566a669de347

Nationaal lucht- en ruimtevaartlaboratorium

Campus only

NLR MP 86029 U

Aerospace Engineering Reports

report

(c) 1986 National Aerospace Laboratory NLR