Thermal infrared imagery informativity enhancement using sub-pixel co-registration

Spatial resolution is the main specification of satellite imagery quality, including the thermal infrared imagery. Many technical restrictions opposed to realize the high spatial resolution imagers of thermal infrared band. The software-based method for imagery spatial resolution enhancement is presented. The method used two sub-pixel shifted images that contain time-invariant thermal emissivity data. Enhanced spatial resolution infrared imagery provides better informativity for remote sensing application and allow producing more detailed data products based on thermal infrared imagery processing.

I. Introduction

Thermal infrared sensors application greatly expanded the range of problems that can be solved by means of remote sensing. They are include the forest fires identification, water surface temperature determining, urban “heat islands” mapping, of subterranean thermal anomalies detection and others [1]. Thus thermal infrared (TIR) data found practical application in many scientific and economic branches like ecology, geology, forestry, agriculture, oil and gas prospecting [2], etc.