Thursday, June 23, 2011 |

National Research Council of Canada opens Hyperspectral Imaging Research Facility for business

June 2011 — The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) announced that its Hyperspectral Imaging Research Facility is open for collaborative research and fee-for-service clients. This facility operates through the NRC Institute for Aerospace Research (NRC Aerospace) in Ottawa.

NRC is operating one of the world’s first airborne polarmetric shortwave infrared hyperspectral systems. NRC invites other government departments, universities, military and intelligence organizations in Canada and around the world to take advantage of hyperspectral imaging services.

While previous hyperspectral imaging technology has been applied mainly to mineral exploration, the determination of crop biophysical parameters and the characterization of coastal regions, NRC and its clients focus on less traditional applications. For example, NRC has been collaborating with McGill University, the Canadian Police Research Centre and Canadian law-enforcement agencies for the aerial location of clandestine mass graves, single graves and other forensic matters.

Supporting wildlife research activities, NRC and Environment Canada have used hyperspectral imaging technology to identify and enumerate Arctic species, notably polar bears which are difficult to see from the air against a background of snow.

The technology is also being used at NRC for defence applications such as the roadside detection of improvised explosive devices.

Hyperspectral Imaging

The human eye can distinguish metal, wood and plastic by the intensity and colour (wavelength) of the reflected light, as long as the wavelength falls in the visible end of the spectrum. Hyperspectral imaging collects information on the intensity of reflected light at wavelengths that are visible to the eye and a great number that are not. The result is hundreds of possible images of the same target instead of the typical three – red, blue, green – provided by standard imaging.

In many instances, hyperspectral sensors pick up the unique “finger print” (spectral signature) of a scanned object, permitting identification of the materials that form it. For example, a spectral signature for oil may help discover new oil fields. Hyperspectral images can be gathered from aircraft, satellites and handheld sensors.

NRC Hyperspectral Imaging Program

Airborne hyperspectral imaging is a strategic research direction for the Airborne Research Program of NRC’s Flight Research Laboratory. NRC is collaborating with many government departments that conduct remote sensing. Further, NRC frequently collaborates with academic researchers in hyperspectral data acquisition and algorithm development.

NRC’s Flight Research Laboratory has a Shortwave infrared Airborne Spectrographic Imager (SASI) hyperspectral imaging system for remote sensing of the Earth and in airborne atmospheric research. The system has 160 spectral channels covering the 850 nm to 2500 nm range of wavelengths and has a continuous data collection ability of up to five hours per flight. The SASI instrument is primarily installed on NRC’s Twin Otter Aircraft but can also be used on NRC’s Convair 580 aircraft for resource exploration, environmental applications, forensic sciences, and defence and security.

About the National Research Council Canada

Recognized globally for research and innovation, the National Research Council Canada is a leader in the development of an innovative, knowledge-based economy for Canada through science and technology. Its Institute for Aerospace Research is Canada's national aerospace laboratory, undertaking and promoting research and development in support of the Canadian aerospace community in matters affecting the design, manufacture, performance, use and safety of aerospace vehicles.