Estimating the image spectrum signal-to-noise ratio for imaging through scattering media

Abstract

The image spectrum signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) provides a means of estimating the noise effective spatial resolution of an imaging system and a means of estimating the highest spatial frequency which can be reconstructed with a postdetection image reconstruction algorithm. Previous work has addressed the effects of aerosol scattering on the overall point spread function (PSF). Here, we seek to extend these results to also account for the effects of measurement noise and to then estimate the noise effective resolution of the system, which accounts for scattering effects on the PSF and measurement noise in the detector. We use a previously published approach to estimating the effective PSF and radiometric calculations to estimate the mean numbers of direct and scattered photons detected by an imaging system due to reflected radiation in the visible and near-infrared, and emitted radiation in mid-infrared (MIR) band, for a horizontal near-ground imaging scenario. The analysis of the image spectrum SNR presented here shows a reduction in the value of noise effective cutoff spatial frequency for images taken through fog aerosol media, and hence emphasizes the degrading effect of fog aerosol models on the spatial resolution of imaging systems.