Application Of Ray-tracing to Satellite Image Understanding

A Monte Carlo ray-tracing scheme has been developed for the simulation of image formation processes in satellite images. It consists of an object-oriented ray-tracer which includes satellite-specific models for exterior and interior orientation, empirical models of sky radiance and several simple analytical models and functional approximations for Bi-Directional Reflectance Distribution Functions (BRDFs). Preliminary results from this ray-tracer simulation system will be described including a comparisgn with simple shading schemes; a study of the effects of sky radiance and an investigation of the potential role of terrain variations for BRDF measurements using simple specular-diffuse surface reflectance models. The future role of this system for modelling different surface cover types including vegetation canopies at visible, thermal and microwave wavelengths in the Eos era will be discussed.

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