Clouds are significant barriers to the application of optical remote sensing images. Accurate cloud detection can help to remove contaminated pixels and improve image quality. Many cloud detection methods have been developed. However, traditional methods either rely heavily on thermal infrared bands or clear-sky images. When traditional cloud detection methods are used with Gaofen 4 (GF-4) imagery, it is very difficult to separate objects with similar spectra, such as ice, snow, and bright sand, from clouds. In this paper, we propose a new method, named Real-Time-Difference (RTD), to detect clouds using a pair of images obtained by the GF-4 satellite. The RTD method has four main steps: (1) data preprocessing, including transforming digital value (DN) to Top of Atmosphere (TOA) reflectance, and orthographic and geometric correction; (2) the computation of a series of cloud indexes for a single image to highlight clouds; (3) the calculation of the difference between a pair of real-time images in order to obtain moved clouds; and (4) confirming the clouds and background by analyzing their physical and dynamic features. The RTD method was validated in three sites located in the Hainan, Liaoning, and Xinjiang areas of China. The results were compared with those of a popular classifier, Support Vector Machine (SVM). The results showed that RTD outperformed SVM; for the Hainan, Liaoning, and Xinjiang areas, respectively, the overall accuracy of RTD reached 95.9%, 94.1%, and 93.9%, and its Kappa coefficient reached 0.92, 0.88, and 0.88. In the future, we expect RTD to be developed into an important means for the rapid detection of clouds that can be used on images from geostationary orbit satellites.
Due to the fact that traditional High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging methods cannot be used for satellites, finding a way to generate HDR remote sensing images from satellites has long been explored in the field of remote sensing imaging. In this paper, a systematic method of synthesizing HDR remote sensing images based on a new registration algorithm and virtual digital delay integration (TDI) technology is proposed. Firstly, a series of original images are generated by the fast continuous shooting method through push-broom spaceborne camera. Then, a new registration algorithm with high accuracy and high robustness is proposed in this paper is used for image registration. Finally, an HDR multi-frame image synthesis algorithm is used to generate high-quality and high signal-to-noise-ratio HDR images. This technology greatly improves the image information acquisition capabilities of digital TDI area scan cameras.
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