Improvements in multi- and hyperspectral imagery standards: the spectral NITF implementation profile

Abstract

Data standards enable low-cost integration and interoperability for data hosted by an enterprise managing multiple data sources, yet standards must change to keep pace with technological advances. Hyperspectral imagery (HSI) systems have evolved beyond the 2011 tactical, i.e., airborne, HSI standard for systems transmitting imagery using the National Imagery Transmission Format (NITF) and hosted within the National System for Geospatial Intelligence (NSG). The Research Directorate of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) created the Spectral NITF Implementation Profile (SNIP) to realize HSI systems’ advanced capabilities, incorporating improvements in remote sensing made over the past decade. Ratified by U.S. government standards committees, the SNIP is a mandatory Department of Defense and Intelligence Community standard that applies to any spectroradiometric system regardless of the number of bands. The SNIP supports spectroradiometric exploitation, geopositioning and mensuration, search and discovery, and dissemination controls. SNIP improvements include support for air, space, and ground-based platforms; new geopositioning extensions that provide more complete and accurate results; and per-pixel metadata that include spectral smile, noise equivalent spectral radiance, and keystone. SNIP reference implementation products (RIPs), that is, datasets encoded to the SNIP standard, are derived from a U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Hyperion dataset. The publicly released RIPs support interoperability tests and algorithm development. During development, the RIPs test dataset design, sometimes revealing issues that can be resolved with a revised design. This paper describes the SNIP, including development premises, design, collaboration efforts, history, and plans. It also describes the RIPs and includes a short overview of the NITF standard.