Design and Construction of UAV-Based Measurement System for Water Hyperspectral Remote-Sensing Reflectance

Acquiring a large number of in situ water spectral measurements is fundamental for constructing water color remote-sensing retrieval models and validating the accuracy of water color remote-sensing products. However, traditional manual site-based water spectral measurements are time-consuming and labor-intensive, resulting in an insufficient number of in situ water spectral samples to date. To resolve this issue, this study develops an unmanned aerial vehicle-based hyperspectral remote-sensing reflectance measurement system (UAV-RRS) capable of continuous on-the-move water spectral measurements. This paper provides a detailed introduction to the system components and conducts precise experiments on the correction and calibration of the spectral sensors. Using this system, an in situ-UAV-satellite multi-source remote-sensing reflectance comparison experiment was conducted in the middle reaches of the Qiantang River, East China, to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of UAV-RRS and extend the analysis to satellite data across different spatial scales. The results demonstrate that, in small-scale water bodies, UAV-RRS achieves higher spatial precision and spectral accuracy, offering a valuable solution for high-precision, low-altitude continuous water body observations.