Automated Thematic Registration of NOAA, CoastWatch, and AVHRR Images

Abstract

Daily for the United States, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), CoastWatch Program produces multiple regional daytime images and sea surface temperature (SST) images derived from Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometry (AVHRR). Images have 1.1 km pixel resolution at nadir, <1 pixel systematic error (rotation, scale, distortion), but up to 9 pixels translation (offset) error. New fully-automated registration to a reference map corrects translation error to mean radial error <1 pixel suitable for full pixel resolution application in inshore waters and large estuaries. The approach converts AVHRR Channel 1 and 2 data to a land and water thematic image, finds the offset to maximize classification accuracy, and repositions the AVHRR and SST images. Registration was robust to cloud cover and missing data and was more reliable than manual registration for cloudy images. Developed for the southeast region of the U.S., the approach is transportable to other regions.