Mineral discrimination by combination of multispectral image and surrounding hyperspectral image

A hyperspectral (HS) imager is more effective than a multispectral (MS) imager in mineral discrimination, but spatial coverage of HS images is limited in comparison to that of MS images. Thus Kruse and Perry have proposed a method that uses coincident HS imaging and MS imaging data to extend mineral mapping to larger areas. We propose a method modified from the Kruse and Perry’s (K&P) method. Though the K&P method derives the MS-based endmember spectra by weighting the HS-based endmember spectra with the response functions of the MS sensor bands, the proposed method obtains the MS-based endmember spectra from surface reflectance spectra of the MS pixels at the same positions with the HS pixels selected as the HS-based endmembers in the overlapping area. The validation study using airborne visible/infrared imaging spectrometer and advanced spaceborne thermal emission and reflection radiometer images over Cuprite and Goldfield areas, Nevada, USA, demonstrates that the proposed method is more robust against spectral inconsistency between the HS- and the MS-images caused by calibration and/or atmospheric correction errors than the K&P method, though the proposed method is more sensitive to co-registration errors between the HS- and the MS-images than the K&P method.