Data fusion of SSM/I channels using multiresolution wavelet transform

This paper presents an approach to the fusion of SSM/I (Special Sensor Microwave/Imager) data from different resolutions, based on the prior statistical information about the data. The result is an estimated field that lives in a finer scale than any of the measurements. We apply a Wavelet Transform that increases speed and decreases memory requirements by sparsifying and preconditioning the statistics. This approach makes feasible the use of reprogrammable FPGA implementations for onboard satellite data processing, which greatly enhances flexibility and, most importantly, reduces communication burdens by limiting the extent to which raw, unprocessed data are transmitted to the ground.