SpecTIR hyperspectral airborne Rochester experiment data collection campaign

A multi-modal (hyperspectral, LiDAR, and multi-spectral) imaging data collection campaign was conducted at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in conjunction with SpecTIR, LLC, in the Rochester, New York, area July 26-29, 2010. The campaign was titled the SpecTIR Hyperspectral Airborne Rochester Experiment (SHARE) and collected data in support of nine simultaneous unique experiments, several of which leveraged data from multiple modalities. Airborne imagery was collected over the city of Rochester with hyperspectral, multispectral, and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensors. Sites for data collection included the Genesee River, sections of downtown Rochester, and the RIT campus. Experiments included sub-pixel target detection, water quality monitoring, thermal vehicle tracking and wetlands health assessment. An extensive ground truthing effort was accomplished in addition to the airborne imagery collected. The ultimate goal of this comprehensive data collection campaign was to provide a community sharable resource that would support additional experiments. This paper details the experiments conducted and the corresponding data that were collected in conjunction with this campaign.