A technique for reflectance calibration of airborne hyperspectral spectrometer data using a broad, multiband radiometer

© 2008 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. Airborne radiometers have been employed for various remote sensing applications, including optical characterizations of forest canopies [1], surface reflectance factor retrievals from satellite imagery [2], spatial extrapolation of evaporation over agricultural fields [3], and scaling up and validation of satellite data products [4,5]. These studies have found the utility of airborne radiometers because (1) they can rapidly obtain data over rather large areas, encompassing fields having considerably different surface properties [3]; and (2) they can measure reflectance factors of tall objects that cannot be reached from ground (e.g., forest canopies) [1]. Airborne or helicopter-based radiometers are typically flown at low altitudes (