Progress in the development of a high performance airborne digital sensor

Joint development work by LH Systems and Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Ra umfahrt (German Aerospace Center) has produced encouraging results using fo rward, nadir and backward looking linear arrays on the focal plane to provi de panchromatic imagery and geometric information, supplemented by further arrays to acquire multispectral imagery suitable for both high precision ph otogrammetric mapping and image processing for interpretative purposes. The geometric characteristics of line scanner imagery necessitate line-by-line rectification for aircraft tilts and shifts. Satisfactory execution of thi s process is Enhanced by using supplementary data from high performance, on -board GPS and inertial measurement systems. Similarly, high demands are pl aced on other sub-systems, such as the camera mount, lens, electronics and storage technology. In addition to rectification for aircraft tilts and shi fts, rectification for terrain characteristics is also required in order to generate colour and false colour composite images, since the various multi spectral arrays are in different places on the focal plane. The special geo metry affects triangulation. Thereafter, the imagery can be processed using existing software packages from both photogrammetry and remote sensing. The concept has been demonstrated in several successful test flights and th e production model is scheduled for market introduction at the ISPRS Congre ss in July 2000. The imagery from the new sensor will fu(fil many market re quirements between the highest resolution film imagery ( < 0.1 m) and high resolution space imagery (1 m to 10 m). The sensor's unique blend of multis pectral information with high quality geometric information will give rise to numerous new applications.