Is it a Satellite Image or What Happens When Your 6 Year Old Has The Flu?
October 20, 2003

Contest category: Thematic Imagery

Description: Sometimes image processing can get a little out of hand, as seems to be the case with this example of a Landsat 7 image of Cuprite, Nevada. A run-of-the-mill image in true color or even CIR, but apply an MNF filter or some kind of contrast stretch and... whoa! Is that still my image or someone’s lunch? It's the delicate balance inherent in using today’s image processing tools. We have the power to classify and sub-pixel-analyze to our heart’s delight, but what happens when the colors go awry and we’re not exactly sure what kind of digital monster we’ve created?

I at least know this: accidentally loading just the right bands after running an MNF filter in ENVI, I can print out a great conversation piece to hang up on my wall. I won't even tell you some of the names that have been submitted for it, but one of them involved Brussel sprouts (for the pivot crop fields in the left side of the image). 3 cheers for the power of remote sensing and its ability to cross over into modern art!

Geographic location:  Longitude: 118° 9' 58.19" W Latitude: 37° 57' 6.04" N

Image resolution:  30 meters

Source of imagery:  Landsat 7

Commercial image processing software used:  Processed by ENVI 4.0 Remote Sensing Software (http://www.rsinc.com/envi/index.asp)

Image processing technique employed:  MNF Rotation > Forward MNF > Estimate Noise Statistics From Data. Bands Displayed are R5 G4 B2.

— Nate Oscar (noscar@rsinc.com), RSI, USA

Locating Australia Canola
October 20, 2003

Contest category: Image Maps

Application areas: Agriculture

Description: Assessing Major Canola Production Areas in Australia

Geographic location:  Australia

Image resolution:  Landsat 30 meter, GAC 8km

Source of imagery:  Landsat and AVHRR

Commercial image processing software used:  PCI and ESRI ArcView

Image processing technique employed:  rectification. geo registration. LUT adjustment.

— Jim Crutchfield (james.crutchfield@usda.gov), USDA, USA

Soybean Crop Stage on Landsat
October 20, 2003

Contest category: Thematic Imagery

Application areas: Agriculture

Description: On Maryland's eastern shore no-till soybeans show a wide range of phenological stage and field spectral reflectances even well into the summer season. In this region soybeans have a longer planting season than the other major field crops. Several stages of no-till soybeans are illustrated in this poster.

Geographic location:  Eastern Shore of Chesapeake Bay, Maryland USA

Image resolution:  Landsat TM Band 4,5,3 (30m) and Ground photos.

Source of imagery:  Landsat TM

Commercial image processing software used:  PCI and ESRI ArcView

Image processing technique employed:  field level registration. LUT adjustment with modified linear stretch. LUT matching. subsetting.

— Jim Crutchfield (james.crutchfield@usda.gov), USDA, USA

SR-71 on deck of USS Intrepid, New York City
October 20, 2003

Contest category: Unique Geomorphologic Images

Description: An SR-71 Blackbird as well as other aircraft are clearly visible on this aerial photograph of the USS Intrepid, in New York City. The image was taken May 2nd, 2002.

Geographic location:  New York City, NY

Image resolution:  2 foot

Source of imagery:  Aerials Express, LLC

Image processing technique employed:  Downloaded from www.aerialsexpress.com

— Bill Landis (mappers@yahoo.com), CB Richard Ellis, USA

Cirrus Cloud over central Aleutian Islands, Alaska
October 20, 2003

Contest category: Thematic Imagery

Application areas: Environmental, Remote Sensing & Image Processing, Satellite Image Data

Description: This is a MODIS scene acquired over the central Aleutian Islands, Alaska, on 20 February 2001. High cirrus clouds such as this frequently form over the Aleutian islands and often result in large storms. This image was made by displaying Emissivity band 20, Reflectance band 17, and Reflectance band 26. This RGB image was then built into a 3D cube. All processing was done in ENVI.

Geographic location:  Central Aleutian Islands, Alaska

Image resolution:  MODIS - 500 meters

Source of imagery:  The MODIS scene is courtesy of the International Observatory of the North (ION), University of Alaska Fairbanks (ion.gina.alaska.edu).

Commercial image processing software used:  ENVI 4.0 - Remote Sensing and Image Processing Software

Image processing technique employed:  This image was made by displaying Emissivity band 20, Reflectance band 17, and Reflectance band 26. This RGB image was then built into a 3D cube.

— Cherie Darnel (cdarnel@rsinc.com), Research Systems, USA