System and method for atmospheric correction of information

• US 9,097,792 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2011
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Johns Hopkins University
• Original Assignee: Johns Hopkins University
• Inventors: Kelly, Michael A., Osei-Wusu, Kwame, Hume, Edward E. Jr., Strong, Shadrian B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kundu, Sujoy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fortich, Alvaro
• Application Number:
  US13/174,864
• Publication Number:
  US 20130006534A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,495 Days
• Field of Search: 702/3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/7803 Means for monitoring or calibrating
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/00 Meteorology

Abstract

An atmospheric correction system (ACS) is proposed, which accounts for the errors resulting from the in-homogeneities in the operational atmosphere along the slant path by constructing atmospheric profiles from the data along the actual target to sensor slant-range path. The ACS generates a slant-range path based on the arbitrary geometry that models the sensor to target relationship. This path takes the atmosphere and obstructions between the two endpoints into account when determining the atmospheric profile. The ACS uses assimilation to incorporate weather data from multiple sources and constructs an atmospheric profile from the best available data. The ACS allows the user to take advantage of variable weather and information along the path that can lead to increased accuracy in the derived atmospheric compensation value.

Claims

1. A system for use with a sensor, a target and atmosphere data between the sensor and the target to produce a target signal, said system comprising:

an observation setup portion operable to generate sensor location data based on a location of the sensor and to generate target location data based on a location of the target;

a slant-range profile generator operable to generate slant-range profile data based on the sensor location data and the target location data;

a radiative environment portion operable to generate environment data of an atmosphere at two locations in the atmosphere, respectively, along a slant-range path between the sensor and the target based on the atmosphere data between the sensor and the target;

a sensor observation portion operable to generate sensor parameter data based on a parameter of the sensor;

an atmospheric effects removal portion operable to generate mean transmittance data of the atmosphere data between the sensor and the target based on the slant-range profile data, the environment data, and the sensor parameter data; and

a target signal generator operable to generate the target signal based on the mean transmittance data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said observation setup portion is operable to generate the sensor location data based additionally on a responsivity of the sensor.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said slant-range profile generator being operable to generate the slant-range profile data by incrementally sampling the atmosphere along an actual line of sight between the sensor location data and the target location data.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said radiative environment portion is operable to generate the environment data of the atmosphere at the two locations in the atmosphere, respectively, along the slant-range path between the sensor and the target as electromagnetic parameters of the atmosphere at the two locations.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said sensor observation portion is operable to generate the sensor parameter data based on a responsivity of the sensor.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the atmospheric effects removal portion operable to generate the mean transmittance data of the atmosphere data between the sensor and the target based on the slant-range profile data, the environment data, and the sensor parameter data by at least combining a path background rating and a path transmittance at a first wavelength.

6. A method of using a sensor, a target, and atmosphere data between the sensor and the target to produce a target signal, said method comprising:

generating, via an observation setup portion, sensor location data based on a location of the sensor;

generating, via the observation setup portion, target location data based on the location of the target;

generating, via a slant-range profile generator, slant-range profile data based on the sensor location data and the target location data;

generating, via a radiative environment portion, environment data of the atmosphere at two locations in the atmosphere, respectively, along a slant-range path between the sensor and the target based on the atmosphere data between the sensor and the target;

generating, via a sensor observation portion, sensor parameter data based on a parameter of the sensor;

generating, via an atmospheric effects removal portion, mean transmittance data of the atmosphere between the sensor and the target based on the slant-range profile data, the environment data, and the sensor parameter data; and

generating, via a target signal generator, the target signal based on the mean transmittance data.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said generating, via the observation setup portion, of the sensor location data based on the location of the sensor comprises generating the sensor location data based additionally on a responsivity of the sensor.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said generating, via the slant-range profile generator, of the slant-range profile data based on the sensor location data and the target location data comprises generating slant-range profile data by incrementally sampling the atmosphere along an actual line of sight between the sensor location data and the target location data.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein said generating, via the radiative environment portion, of the environment data of the atmosphere at two locations, respectively, along the slant-range path between the sensor and the target based on the atmosphere data between the sensor and the target comprises generating the environment data of the atmosphere at the two locations in the atmosphere, respectively, between the sensor and the target as electromagnetic parameters of the atmosphere at the two locations.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein said generating, via the sensor observation portion, of the sensor parameter data based on the parameter of the sensor comprises generating the sensor parameter data based on a responsivity of the sensor.

17. The method of claim 6, wherein generating, via the atmospheric effects removal portion, of the mean transmittance data of the atmosphere between the sensor and the target based on the slant-range profile data, the environment data, and the sensor parameter data comprises at least combining a path background rating and a path transmittance at a first wavelength.

11. A tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media having computer-readable instructions stored thereon, the computer-readable instructions being capable of being read by a computer to be used with a sensor, a target, and atmosphere data between the sensor and the target to produce a target signal, the computer readable instructions being capable of instructing the computer to perform:

generating, via an observation setup portion, sensor location data based on a location of the sensor;

generating, via the observation setup portion, target location data based on the location of the target;

generating, via a slant-range profile generator, slant-range profile data based on the sensor location data and the target location data;

generating, via a radiative environment portion, environment data of the atmosphere at two locations in the atmosphere, respectively, along a slant-range path between the sensor and the target based on the atmosphere data between the sensor and the target;

generating, via a sensor observation portion, sensor parameter data based on a parameter of the sensor;

generating, via an atmospheric effects removal portion, mean transmittance data of the atmosphere between the sensor and the target based on the slant-range profile data, the environment data, and the sensor parameter data; and

generating, via the target signal generator, a target signal based on the mean transmittance data.

12. The computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the computer-readable instructions being capable of instructing the computer to perform said generating, via the observation setup portion, of the sensor location data based on the location of the sensor comprises computer-readable instructions being capable of instructing the computer to generate the sensor location data based additionally on a responsivity of the sensor.

13. The computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the computer-readable instructions being capable of instructing the computer to perform said generating, via the slant-range profile generator, of the slant-range profile data based on the sensor location data and the target location data comprises computer-readable instructions being capable of instructing the computer to generate slant-range profile data by incrementally sampling the atmosphere along an actual line of sight between the sensor location data and the target location data.

14. The computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the computer-readable instructions being capable of instructing the computer to perform said generating, via the radiative environment portion, of the environment data of the atmosphere at two locations, respectively, along the slant-range path between the sensor and the target based on the atmosphere data between the sensor and the target comprises computer readable instructions being capable of instructing the computer to generate the environment data of the atmosphere at the two locations in the atmosphere, respectively, between the sensor and the target as electromagnetic parameters of the atmosphere at the two locations.

15. The computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the computer-readable instructions being capable of instructing the computer to perform said generating, via the sensor observation portion, of the sensor parameter data based on the parameter of the sensor comprises computer-readable instructions being capable of instructing the computer to generate the sensor parameter data based on a responsivity of the sensor.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the computer-readable instructions being capable of instructing the computer to perform said generating, via the atmospheric effects removal portion, of the mean transmittance data of the atmosphere between the sensor and the target based on the slant-range profile data, the environment data, and the sensor parameter data by at least combining a path background rating and a path transmittance at a first wavelength.