A six-camera digital video imaging system sensitive to visible, red edge, near-infrared, and mid-infrared wavelengths

Abstract

This paper describes a six-camera multispectral digital video imaging system designed for natural resource assessment and shows its potential as a research tool. It has five visible to near-infrared light sensitive cameras, one near-infrared to mid-infrared light sensitive camera, a monitor, a computer with a multichannel digitizing board, a keyboard, a power distributor, an amplifier, and a mouse. Each camera is fitted with a narrowband interference filter, allowing the system to obtain imagery in the blue (447 – 455 nm), green (555 – 565 nm), red (625 – 635 nm), red edge (704 – 716 nm), near-infrared (814–826 nm), and mid-infrared (1631 – 1676 nm) regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Analogue video acquired by this system is converted to digital format. Radiometric resolution of the imagery is 8-bit (pixel values range 0 – 255). Images obtained by the system can be evaluated individually and/or in combination with each other to assess natural resources.

Keywords:

• Multispectral
• Camera system
• Digital video
• Natural resource assessment

Acknowledgements

Thanks are extended to personnel of the Welder Wildlife Foundation for allowing us to conduct research on this area. The authors are also grateful to Mario Alaniz, Isabael Cavazos, Rene Davis, Jim Forward, and Fred Gomez for their assistance in this study.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

R. S. Fletcher

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