Developmental Software for Exploiting Hyperspectral Imagery

A unique state-of-the-art process for exploiting hyperspectral satellite imagery, based on evolutionary computing methods, has been developed and a proof-of-concept demonstration has been conducted. This development is projected to lead to several important commercial products, including a fully integrated, high-payoff, user-friendly software package — the Integrated Hyperspectral Imagery Analysis Toolbox. This software would be capable of end-to-end processing of industrial and governmental hyperspectral satellite image data with extensions to several popular commercial software products like ENVI from Research Systems, Inc., and ESRI's ArcView Geographical Information System. The development of the end product will focus on accurate detection and identification of natural and artificial materials and objects, the use of large libraries of laboratory reference data, and ease of use. Potential commercial applications include assessment of crops (including estimation of crop yields), exploration for minerals and oil, planning of military missions and automated identification of military targets, urban planning, environmental assessment, and search-and-rescue operations.