Prediction Of Image Quality Through The Desert Atmosphere

Abstract

Using atmospheric modulation contrast function area (mcfa) as a single-valued numerical criterion for image quality propagated through the atmosphere, a statistical study of atmospheric imaging data has led to the determination of regression coefficients with which to quantitatively predict effects of windspeed, air temperature, and relative humidity on image quality propagated through the atmosphere as a function of wavelength for visible and near infrared wavelengths. Utilization of this procedure is quite simple. One simply plugs in expected values for windspeed, air temperature, and relative humidity in the regression coefficient expression for mcfa. The larger the expected mcfa, the better the expected image quality. Data for desert atmospheres have been presented previously. Here, an improved version of that model is presented. Preliminary experimentation indicates the accuracy of the present model is quite good.