A low complexity image compression solution for onboard space applications

In this work, a real time hardware data compression solution for raster scan cameras, to be onboard the next generation of Remote Sensing Brazilian satellites, is proposed. The options for image data compression methods are briefly covered to substantiate the choice: a low complexity implementation based on JPEG-LS, near-lossless compression algorithm, which can be synthesized in a single electronic device. JPEG-LS performance in terms of compression rates and loss is evaluated by processing remote sensing rough images through in-house developed software tool. Finally, the description and results of an implementation in FPGA are presented and compared to other works, emphasizing the differences related to application requirements.