Comparison of four different methods to fuse multi-sensor and multi-resolution remotely sensed data for urban topographic mapping

Compares the quality of fused images using multi-sensor and multi-resolution data. The comparison is based on topographic interpretation and uses visual, graphical analysis. High spectral resolution images (Landsat TM) were acquired in 1991 and 1996. The high spatial resolution images are DD-5 and IRS-1C panchromatic images acquired on January 9, 1991 and November 6, 1996, respectively. The objective of this study is to assess fused images produced by image fusion techniques. The methods used are the IHS transform, the Brovey transform, and a new approach (Enhanced Spectral and Spatial Transform; 3H and 3S). The 3H and 3S methods are best for image sharpening and maintain the information of the original data. The IHS transform shows blurring if there is a large difference in spatial resolution (1:15 in DD-5). Multi-sensor and multi-resolution imagery with moderate spatial resolution has great potential to improve the performance of urban topographic mapping.