Universal calibration facility for VIS-TIR wide-angle videospectrometric airborne sensors

The European Union and DLR are funding a new 79-channel airborne imaging spectrometer: DAIS-7915, which is built by GER Corporation. Based on the requirements for ground calibration of the DAIS-7915, a Universal Calibration Facility (UCF) for VIS-TIR wide-angel videospectrometric airborne sensors has been developed at the DLR-Institute of Optoelectronic. The spectral coverage of the UCF is 0.4 - 14.5 micrometers . The UCF consists of the spectrometric-geometric calibration part (SCP), the relative diffuse radiometric source (RDRS), the thermal absolute calibration part (TACP) and the absolute radiometric calibration part (ARCP). The SCP, RDRS, and TACP can be used for laboratory calibration as well as for hangar calibration of the sensor installed in the aircraft. The ARCP consists of an integrating sphere with 165 cm diameter and an opening of 40 X 55 cm2. The sphere is intercalibrated by means of an absolute diffuse source (ADS) and a spectro- radiometer. The ADS has been recognized and admitted for application as a reference instrument for measuring the spectral radiance in the wavelength region of 0.4 - 2.5 micrometers .