Image Quality Degradation and Retrieval Errors Introduced by Registration and Interpolation of Multispectral Digital Images

Full utilization of multispectral data acquired by whiskbroom and pushbroom imagers requires that the individual channels be registered accurately. Poor registration introduces errors which can be signiicant, especially in high contrast areas such as boundaries between regions. We simulate the acquisition of multispectral imagery in order to estimate the errors that are introduced by co-registration of diierent channels and interpolation within the images. We compute the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) and image quality degradation brought about by fractional pixel shifting and calculate errors in retrieved quantities (surface temperature and water vapor) that occur as a result of interpolation. We also present a method which might be used to estimate sensor platform motion for accurate registration of images acquired by a pushbroom scanner.