[The ground reflectance spectrum retrieval from ETM images]

Area of Science:

• Remote Sensing
• Atmospheric Optics
• Geophysics

Context:

• Accurate ground reflectance retrieval is crucial for analyzing Earth's surface.
• Atmospheric conditions significantly impact satellite sensor data.
• Existing methods for spectral retrieval have limitations.

Purpose:

• To develop and validate a novel method for retrieving ground reflectance spectra using Landsat-7 ETM data.
• To assess the accuracy and performance of the new retrieval method compared to existing techniques.
• To investigate the application of retrieved spectral radiance for true-color image synthesis.

Summary:

• Ground reflectance spectra were retrieved from Landsat-7 ETM sensor digital counts by accounting for atmospheric conditions.
• The retrieval method demonstrated high accuracy, with uncertainties below 17% for ETM band 1 and below 10% for bands 2 and 3.
• While synthesized true-color images showed improved interpretation accuracy, their color fidelity requires adjustment.

Impact:

• The developed method offers superior accuracy for spectral reflectance retrieval compared to current widely used methods.
• Improved spectral data can enhance the analysis of Earth's surface features and phenomena.
• The findings contribute to more precise remote sensing applications and Earth observation data interpretation.