Real-Time Endmember Extraction on Multicore Processors

In this letter, we discuss the use of multicore processors in the acceleration of endmember extraction algorithms for hyperspectral image unmixing. Specifically, we develop computationally efficient versions of two popular fully automatic endmember extraction algorithms: orthogonal subspace projection and N-FINDR. Our experimental results, based on the analysis of hyperspectral data collected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Airborne Visible InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer, indicate that endmember extraction algorithms can significantly benefit from these inexpensive high-performance computing platforms, which can offer real-time response with some programming effort.