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Multispectral image

A multispectral image is one that captures image data within specific wavelength ranges across the electromagnetic spectrum. The wavelengths may be separated by filters or by the use of instruments that are sensitive to particular wavelengths, including light from frequencies beyond the visible light range, i.e. infrared and ultra-violet. Spectral imaging can allow extraction of additional information the human eye fails to capture with its receptors for red, green and blue. It was originally developed for space-based imaging, and has also found use in document and painting analysis.Multispectral imaging combines two to five spectral imaging bands of relatively large bandwidth into a single optical system. A multispectral system usually provides a combination of visible (0.4 to 0.7 µm), near infrared (NIR; 0.7 to 1 µm), short-wave infrared (SWIR; 1 to 1.7 µm), mid-wave infrared (MWIR; 3.5 to 5 µm) or long-wave infrared (LWIR; 8 to 12 µm) bands into a single system. — Valerie C. Coffey A multispectral image is one that captures image data within specific wavelength ranges across the electromagnetic spectrum. The wavelengths may be separated by filters or by the use of instruments that are sensitive to particular wavelengths, including light from frequencies beyond the visible light range, i.e. infrared and ultra-violet. Spectral imaging can allow extraction of additional information the human eye fails to capture with its receptors for red, green and blue. It was originally developed for space-based imaging, and has also found use in document and painting analysis. Multispectral imaging measures light in a small number (typically 3 to 15) of spectral bands. Hyperspectral imaging is a special case of spectral imaging where often hundreds of contiguous spectral bands are available. In 2003, researchers at the United States Army Research Laboratory and the Federal Laboratory Collaborative Technology Alliance reported a dual band multispectral imaging focal plane array (FPA). This FPA allowed researchers to look at two infrared (IR) planes at the same time. Multispectral imaging measures light emission and is often used in detecting or tracking military targets. Because mid wave infrared (MWIR) and long wave infrared (LWIR) technologies measure radiation inherent to the object and require no external light source, they also are referred to as thermal imaging methods. The brightness of the image produced by a thermal imager depends on the objects emissivity and temperature.  Every material has an infrared signature that aids the identification of the object. These signatures are less pronounced in hyperspectral systems, which work similarly to multispectral but use more bands, when exposed to wind and, more dramatically, to rain. Sometimes the surface of the target may reflect infrared energy. This reflection may misconstrue the true reading of the objects’ inherent radiation. Imaging systems that use MWIR technology function better with solar reflections on the target's surface and produce more definitive images of hot objects, such as engines, compared to LWIR technology. However, LWIR operates better in hazy environments like smoke or fog because less scattering occurs in the longer wavelengths. The researchers claimed that dual band technologies combine these advantages to improve imaging particularly in the realm of target tracking.

[ "Computer vision", "Remote sensing", "Artificial intelligence", "Pattern recognition", "Multispectral pattern recognition", "Panchromatic film", "Multispectral segmentation", "multispectral image processing", "multispectral data" ]
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