The Role Of The Microprocessor In Real-Time Preprocessing Of Multispectral Scanner Data

The problems of data rate and data volume are generally consisered as basic and fundamental ones i the development of real-time or near real-time multispectral scanner data systems. This paper silggests that cur rent advances in the field of programmable microprocessors may provide a solution to these problems particularly when applied in a preprocessing mode. Five such microprocessors are considered (2, 3.3, 4, 5, and 61111z) operating on a five channel, conical, multispectral scanner data stream with a maximum 30 kc data rate. A general, linear, data channel coupling is examined in order to establish saturation points primarily for the classification problem. Some data formats, including multiplexing, are suggested. Algorithms for obtaining quick, first-order data alignment (geometric corrections) are considered. A specific application, topographic mapping, is seen to be particularly suited to the stereo aspects of a conical scanner and is given as in example of a total system. Finally, each function above is discussed (general channel coupling, geometric corrections, and topographic mapping) and then subjected to the constraints of data rate and microprocessor speed (above) in order to deduce a number of microprocessor/scanner configurations. These are summarized in tabular form.