A New Saliency-Driven Fusion Method Based on Complex Wavelet Transform for Remote Sensing Images

In remote sensing images, demands for spectral and spatial resolution vary from region to region. Regions with abundant texture and well-defined boundaries (like residential areas and roads) need more spatial details to provide better descriptions of various ground objects while regions such as farmland and mountains are mainly discriminated by spectral characteristic. However, most existing fusion algorithms for remote sensing images execute a unified processing in the whole image, leaving those important needs out of consideration. The employment of diverse fusion strategy for regions with different needs can provide an effective solution to this problem. In this letter, we propose a new saliency-driven fusion method based on complex wavelet transform. First, an adaptive saliency detection method based on clustering and spectral dissimilarity is presented to generate saliency factor for indicating diverse needs of the two kinds of resolutions in regions. Then, we combine nonlinear intensity–hue–saturation transform with multiresolution analysis based on dual-tree complex wavelet transform in order to complement each other’s advantages. Finally, saliency factor is employed to control the detail injection in the fusion, helping to satisfy different needs of different regions. Experiments reveal the validity and advantages of our proposal.