Analysis of the general image quality equation

Abstract

The general image quality equation (GIQE) [Leachtenauer et al., Appl. Opt. 36, 8322-8328 (1997)] is an empirical formula for predicting the quality of imagery from a given incoherent optical system in terms of the National Imagery Interpretability Rating Scale (NIIRS). In some scenarios, the two versions of the GIQE (versions 3.0 and 4.0) yield significantly different NIIRS predictions. We compare visual image quality assessments for simulated imagery with GIQE predictions and analyze the physical basis for the GIQE terms in an effort to determine the proper coefficients for use with Wiener-filtered reconstructions of Nyquist and oversampled imagery in the absence of aberrations. Results indicate that GIQE 3.0 image quality predictions are more accurate than those from GIQE 4.0 in this scenario.