Bradley, ES; Toomey, MP; Still, CJ; Roberts, DA (2010). Multi-Scale Sensor Fusion With an Online Application: Integrating GOES, MODIS, and Webcam Imagery for Environmental Monitoring. IEEE JOURNAL OF SELECTED TOPICS IN APPLIED EARTH OBSERVATIONS AND REMOTE SENSING, 3(4), 497-506.

Abstract
Webcam and satellite imagery are integral sensor web components, but there are few websites that directly synthesize these products. Additionally, websites as a means for reviewing multiple images in an organized way and for analyzing time-series imagery have not been fully explored. This paper describes howweb applications can facilitate review of image archives for multi-scale sensor data fusion, with a test case of an automatic panning camera at the highest peak on Santa Cruz Island (in Channel Islands National Park off the Santa Barbara, CA coast) and MODIS and GOES-11 satellite imagery. We developed the application PanOpt (http://zulu.geog.ucsb.edu/panopt/index.html) for filtering this image database and outputting selected images as a static matrix or as an animation. On-demand product generation includes time-series charts and scatter plots of image metrics for regions of interest, with data markers linked to views of corresponding satellite and camera imagery via event-based web scripting. This is useful not only for exploratory analysis but is well suited for pedagogical applications and imparting a greater synoptic understanding of environmental phenomena. Demonstration of this website's utility includes multi-modal characterization of clouds as well as ground-and satellite-based plant phenology time-series. With this tool, the quantitative and qualitative aspects of image exploration are synergistic, making it easier to discern underlying trends and anomalies and to identify directions for further analysis.

DOI:
10.1109/JSTARS.2010.2048419

ISSN:
1939-1404