Interactive visualisation tools for analysing NIR data

This paper describes a tool under development that allows users to visualise the spatial ripening characteristics of fruit. Sugar acid and moisture content can be measured using non-destructive Near Infrared Reflectance (NIR) analysis techniques. The four dimensional nature of the NIR data introduces some interesting visualisation problems. The display device only provides two dimensions, making it necessary to design new methods for representing the data. We introduce the notion of spectrum and spatial tools and show how these may be combined to form a flexible visualisation environment for exploring NIR data.