EO-1 hyperion data analysis applicable to cloud detection, coastal characterization and terrain classification

The EO-1 satellite is part of NASA's New Millennium Program (NMP). It consists of three imaging sensors: the multispectral Advanced Land Imager (ALI), Hyperion and Atmospheric Corrector. Hyperion provides a high-resolution hyperspectral imager capable of resolving 220 spectral bands (from 0.4 to 2.5 micron) with a 30 m resolution. Three examples of EO-1 Hyperion data analysis efforts are illustrated. The discussion begins with a cloud cover algorithm that utilizes only solar reflective channels to discriminate cloud types and cloud/surface features. The algorithm is applied to a variety of Hyperion scenes that depict various cloud types, surface features and seasonal conditions. The second example illustrates hyperspectral application to coastal characterization. Hyperion data from Chesapeake Bay from 19 February 2002 are analyzed. Chlorophyll retrieval results are shown. The results compare favorably with data from other sources. The third example deals with terrain analysis for background classification applications. Abundance levels of lush vegetation and bare soil are estimated for image pixels located between different fields of crops over Coleambally Irrigation Area, Australia on 7 March 2000.