System characterization report on the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Earth Sensing Imaging Spectrometer (DESIS)

Executive Summary

This report addresses system characterization of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Earth Sensing Imaging Spectrometer (DESIS) and is part of a series of system characterization reports produced and delivered by the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Cal/Val Center of Excellence. These reports present the methodology and procedures for characterization and the technical and operational information about the specific sensing system being evaluated. These reports also provide a description of data measurements, data retention practices, and data analysis results and provide system characterization conclusions.

In partnership with Teledyne Brown Engineering, DLR built the DESIS hyperspectral instrument, which Teledyne Brown Engineering then integrated onto its International Space Station-based imaging platform, the Multi-User System for Earth Sensing. DLR developed the processing software and, together with Innovative Imaging and Research, completes the validation and calibration of the data products. DESIS was launched in 2018, and the data are used for scientific research in atmospheric physics and Earth sciences. The DESIS sensor contributes to the scientific and commercial utilization of the International Space Station and helps to further hyperspectral remote sensing technologies for future satellites. More information on DLR satellites and sensors is included within the “2020 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium” and at https://www.dlr.de/DE/Home/home_node.html.

The Earth Resources Observation and Science Cal/Val Center of Excellence system characterization team completed data analyses to characterize the geometric (interior and exterior), radiometric, and spatial performances. Results of these analyses indicate that DESIS has an interior geometric performance of less than a 3.30-meter (less than 0.11 pixel) root mean square error in band-to-band registration, an exterior geometric performance in the range of a 2.40- (0.08 pixel) to 17.40-meter (0.58 pixel) offset in comparison to the Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager, a radiometric performance in the range of −0.013 to 1.011 (offset and slope), and a spatial performance for band 130 of 1.5 pixels at full width at half maximum, with a modulation transfer function at a Nyquist frequency of 0.167.