Lunar Image Fusion using Wavelet Transform

Abstract

This paper is an attempt to combine high resolution panchromatic lunar image with low resolution multispectral lunar image to produce a composite image using wavelet approach. There are many sensors that provide us image data about the lunar surface. The spatial resolution and spectral resolution is unique for each sensor, thereby resulting in limitation in extraction of information about the lunar surface. The high resolution panchromatic lunar image has high spatial resolution but low spectral resolution; the low resolution multispectral image has low spatial resolution but high spectral resolution. Extracting features such as craters, crater morphology, rilles and regolith surfaces with a low spatial resolution in multispectral image may not yield satisfactory results. A sensor which has high spatial resolution can provide better information when fused with the high spectral resolution. These fused image results pertain to enhanced crater mapping and mineral mapping in lunar surface. Since fusion using wavelet preserve spectral content needed for mineral mapping, image fusion has been done using wavelet approach.