Suitability of the DCS460c colour digital camera for quantitative remote sensing analysis of vegetation

The Kodak DCS460c is a high resolution, colour digital camera with a specific CCD array mosaic structure that requires a dedicated processing algorithm for production of a three-band image. Kodak's Active Interpolation (KAI) algorithm is compared with a simpler nearest neighbour interpolation method (NNI) with regard to applicability in scientific investigations of target features in imagery. Detailed quantitative analyses of flat-field imagery were undertaken in order to provide insight into artefacts and to correct for the off nadir reduction in brightness. Characteristics of the aerial photography were also studied and aspects of processing and analysis of the imagery for scientific investigations are discussed. We present a novel method for correction of brightness fall-off (due to the vignette effects and increasing view angle) which is generally applicable to remote sensing of rural scenes. Quantitative spectral comparisons between related imagery from the DCS460c (e.g. for interpretation of relative vegetation cover) are only scientifically reliable when the raw (i.e. non-interpolated) DN values for green and red are below about 67% of their maximum range. This is due to preferential vertical leakage or charge diffusion in the CCD. A combination of CCD characteristics leads to possibly poor spatial resolution for the infrared band. The imagery after KAI shows good spatial resolution and has a natural looking colour reproduction useful for discerning features by eye. However, when using KAI, reliable spectral measurements can probably only be acquired from portions of objects that are at least four pixels from the object's boundary. In general, quantitative spatial and spectral analyses can be carried out with the DCS460c but the KAI, the broad band response and the vertical leakage require specific solutions to produce quantitative results.