Analysis of characteristic of multiband aerial polarization image

Multiband optical polarization measurement can provide the state of polarization and the intensity information of natural scenes. Gradually this technique is practically applied in remote sensing e.g. monitoring of the atmosphere land and environment. Recently an experimental multiband polarized CCD camera (EMPCC) has been built in our laboratory. It can obtain the polarimetric imaging information synchronously and the multispectral data subsequently. We analyze the characteristic of some polarimetric images which were acquired from aerial platform at 3000m high. These multiband polarization images of natural surfaces include soil vegetation water and a variety of man-made objects. We obtain the parameters of degree of linear polarization (DOLP) angle of polarization (AOP) and intensity of the targets by using Stokes parameters. The Stokes parameters can be derived from measured radiant images at three polarization directions. The results indicate that the characteristics of different targets can be discriminated on the basis of polarization images associated with intensity ones. The properties of targets could be enhanced to some extent when we use the DOLP of the aerial image to characterize the natural surfaces. Among these characteristics the shape edge texture and material could be emphasized. These afford a convenience in interpreting the polarization information.