The Dangers of Analyzing Thermographic Radiometric Data as Images

Thermography is probably the most used method of measuring surface temperature by analyzing radiation in the infrared part of the spectrum which accuracy depends on factors such as emissivity and reflected radiation. Contrary to popular belief that thermographic images represent temperature maps, they are actually thermal radiation converted into an image, and if not properly calibrated, they show incorrect temperatures. The objective of this study is to analyze commonly used image processing techniques and their impact on radiometric data in thermography. In particular, the extent to which a thermograph can be considered as an image and how image processing affects radiometric data. Three analyzes are presented in the paper. The first one examines how image processing techniques, such as contrast and brightness, affect physical reality and its representation in thermographic imaging. The second analysis examines the effects of JPEG compression on radiometric data and how degradation of the data varies with the compression parameters. The third analysis aims to determine the optimal resolution increase required to minimize the effects of compression on the radiometric data. The output from an IR camera in CSV format was used for these analyses, and compared to images from the manufacturer's software. The IR camera providing data in JPEG format was used, and the data included thermographic images, visible images, and a matrix of thermal radiation data. The study was verified with a reference blackbody radiation set at 60 °C. The results highlight the dangers of interpreting thermographic images as temperature maps without considering the underlying radiometric data which can be affected by image processing and compression. The paper concludes with the importance of accurate and precise thermographic analysis for reliable temperature measurement.