The increased sensitivity of modern hyperspectral line-scanning systems has led to the development of imaging systems that can acquire each line of hyperspectral pixels at very high data rates (in the 200–400 Hz range). These data acquisition rates present an opportunity to acquire full hyperspectral scenes at rapid rates, enabling the use of traditional push-broom imaging systems as low-rate video hyperspectral imaging systems. This paper provides an overview of the design of an integrated system that produces low-rate video hyperspectral image sequences by merging a hyperspectral line scanner, operating in the visible and near infra-red, with a high-speed pan-tilt system and an integrated IMU-GPS that provides system pointing. The integrated unit is operated from atop a telescopic mast, which also allows imaging of the same surface area or objects from multiple view zenith directions, useful for bi-directional reflectance data acquisition and analysis. The telescopic mast platform also enables stereo hyperspectral image acquisition, and therefore, the ability to construct a digital elevation model of the surface. Imaging near the shoreline in a coastal setting, we provide an example of hyperspectral imagery time series acquired during a field experiment in July 2017 with our integrated system, which produced hyperspectral image sequences with 371 spectral bands, spatial dimensions of 1600 × 212, and 16 bits per pixel, every 0.67 s. A second example times series acquired during a rooftop experiment conducted on the Rochester Institute of Technology campus in August 2017 illustrates a second application, moving vehicle imaging, with 371 spectral bands, 16 bit dynamic range, and 1600 × 300 spatial dimensions every second.

Water temperature is a key component of aquatic ecosystems because it plays a pivotal role in determining the suitability of stream and river habitat to most freshwater fish species. Continuous temperature loggers and airborne thermal infrared (TIR) remote sensing were used to assess temporal and spatial temperature patterns on the Upper Schoharie Creek and West Kill in the Catskill Mountains, New York, USA. Specific objectives were to characterize (1) contemporary thermal conditions, (2) temporal and spatial variations in stressful water temperatures, and (3) the availability of thermal refuges. In-stream loggers collected data from October 2010 to October 2012 and showed summer water temperatures exceeded the 1-day and 7-day thermal tolerance limits for trout survival at five of the seven study sites during both summers. Results of the 7 August 2012 TIR indicated there was little thermal refuge at the time of the flight. About 690,170 m 2 of water surface area were mapped on the Upper Schoharie, yet only 0.009% (59 m 2 ) was more than 1.0 C below the median water surface temperature (BMT) at the thalweg and no areas were more than 2.0 C BMT. On the West Kill, 79,098 m 2 were mapped and 0.085% (67 m 2 ) and 0.018% (14 m 2 ) were BMT by 1 and 2 C, respectively. These results indicate that summer temperatures in the majority of the study area are stressful for trout and may adversely affect growth and survival. Validation studies are needed to confirm the expectation that resident trout are in poor condition or absent from the downstream portion of the study area during warm-water periods.

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The majority of optical sparse aperture imaging research in the remote sensing field has been confined to a small set of aperture layouts. While these layouts possess some desirable properties for imaging, they may not be ideal for all applications. This work introduces an optimization framework for sparse aperture layouts based on genetic algorithms as well as a small set of fitness functions for incoherent sparse aperture image quality. The optimization results demonstrate the merits of existing designs and the opportunity for creating new sparse aperture layouts.

The Digital Imaging and Remote Sensing Laboratory (DIRS) at the Rochester Institute of Technology, along with the Savannah River National Laboratory is investigating passive methods to quantify vehicle loading. The research described in this paper investigates multiple vehicle indicators including brake temperature, tire temperature, engine temperature, acceleration and deceleration rates, engine acoustics, suspension response, tire deformation and vibrational response. Our investigation into these variables includes building and implementing a sensing system for data collection as well as multiple full-scale vehicle tests. The sensing system includes; infrared video cameras, triaxial accelerometers, microphones, video cameras and thermocouples. The full scale testing includes both a medium size dump truck and a tractor-trailer truck on closed courses with loads spanning the full range of the vehicle's capacity. Statistical analysis of the collected data is used to determine the effectiveness of each of the indicators for characterizing the weight of a vehicle. The final sensing system will monitor multiple load indicators and combine the results to achieve a more accurate measurement than any of the indicators could provide alone.

The Information Products Laboratory for Emergency Response (IPLER) is a new initiative led by the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) to develop and put into use new information products and tools derived from remote sensing data. This effort involves technical development and outreach to the user community having the two-fold objective of providing new information tools to enhance public safety and fostering economic development.Specifically, this paper addresses the demonstration of the collection and delivery of geo-referenced overhead imagery to local (county level) emergency managers in near realtime. The demonstration proved valuable to county personnel in showing what is possible and valuable to the researchers in highlighting the very real constraints of operatives in local government.The demonstration consisted of four major elements; 1) a multiband imaging system incorporating 4 cameras operating simultaneously in the visible (color), shortwave infrared, midwave infrared and long wave infrared, 2) an on-board inertial navigation and data processing system that renders the imagery into geo-referenced coordinates, 3) a microwave digital downlink, and 4) a data dissemination service via FTP and WMS-based browser.In this particular exercise, we successfully collected and downloaded over 700 images and delivered them to county servers located in their Emergency Operations Center as well as to a remote GIS van.

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The small island nation of Haiti was devastated in early 2010 following a massive 7.0 earthquake that brought about widespread destruction of infrastructure, many deaths and large-scale displacement of the population in the nation's major cities. The World Bank and ImageCat, Inc tasked the Rochester Institute of Technology's (RIT) Wildfire Airborne Sensor Platform (WASP) to gather a multi-spectral and multi-modal assessment of the disaster over a seven-day period to be used for relief and reconstruction efforts.Traditionally, private sector aerial remote sensing platforms work on processing and product delivery timelines measured in days, a scenario that has the potential to reduce the value of the data in time-sensitive situations such as those found in responding to a disaster. This paper will describe the methodologies and practices used by RIT to deliver an open set of products typically within a twenty-four hour period from when they were initially collected.Response to the Haiti disaster can be broken down into four major sections: 1) data collection and logistics, 2) transmission of raw data from a remote location to a central processing and dissemination location, 3) rapid image processing of a massive amount of raw data, and 4) dissemination of processed data to global organizations utilizing it to provide the maximum benefit. Each section required it's own major effort to ensure the success of the overall mission. A discussion of each section will be provided along with an analysis of methods that could be implemented in future exercises to increase efficiency and effectiveness.