SDSU VEGETATIVE SITE ANALYSIS FROM 2013 TO 2017 FOR RADIOMETRIC CALIBRATION OF EARTH OBSERVATION SENSORS

Since its founding in 1988, the South Dakota State University Image Processing Laboratory (SDSU IP LAB) has become widely recognized for its contributions in the field of satellite sensor radiometric calibration. One of the numerous calibration methods performed by the laboratory is known as reflectance-based approach. The reflectance based approach is based on the simultaneous measurement, during the satellite sensor overpass, of a well known target on Earth. The SDSU IP LAB has a unique capability to use a darker, vegetative target that it is much more closely resembles of targets often used in applications of remote sensing data. This paper presents the results of a spectral and spatial characterization of the SDSU vegetative site during the period from 2013 to 2017, with the goal of understanding the uncertainties in calibration associated with the site. As an example, the radiometric calibration of the Landsat-7 ETM+ sensor with respect to this site during the same period is also presented.