Dispersive multispectral scanning; a feasibility study

Optical-mechanical line scanners can be used from aircraft and satellites to obtain strip maps of the surface over which the vehicle passes. The feasibility of combining wavelength dispersing techniques with such scanning techniques has been studied. This combination makes it possible to obtain spectral and spatial information simultaneously. Appropriate data processing techniques will then permit us to interpret the spectral data to produce surface maps of various kinds, such as maps of crop type or of surface geology.

Parametric equations representing a generalized dispersive multispectral scanner are developed and discussed in the light of subsystem and component state of the art and from the point of view of prospective users such as geologists and agriculturalists.