DART: recent advances in remote sensing data modeling with atmosphere, polarization, and chlorophyll fluorescence

To better understand the life-essential cycles andprocesses of our planet and to further develop remote sensing (RS)technology, there is an increasing need for models that simulatethe radiative budget (RB) and RS acquisitions of urban andnatural landscapes using physical approaches and consideringthe three-dimensional (3-D) architecture of Earth surfaces.Discrete anisotropic radiative transfer (DART) is one of the mostcomprehensive physically based 3-D models of Earth-atmosphereradiative transfer, covering the spectral domain from ultravioletto thermal infrared wavelengths. It simulates the optical 3-DRB and optical signals of proximal, aerial, and satellite imagingspectrometers and laser scanners, for any urban and/or naturallandscapes and for any experimental and instrumental configurations. It is freely available for research and teaching activities. Inthis paper, we briefly introduce DART theory and present recentadvances in simulated sensors (LiDAR and cameras with finitefield of view) and modeling mechanisms (atmosphere, specularreflectance with polarization and chlorophyll fluorescence). A casestudy demonstrating a novel application of DART to investigateurban landscapes is also presented