A Hyperspectral Bidirectional Reflectance Model for Land Surface

Sensors (Basel). 2020 Aug 10;20(16):4456. doi: 10.3390/s20164456.

Abstract

A hyperspectral bidirectional reflectance (HSBR) model for land surface has been developed in this work. The HSBR model includes a very diverse land surface bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) database with ~40,000 spectra. The BRDF database is saved as Ross-Li parameters, which can generate hyperspectral reflectance spectra at different sensor and solar observation geometries. The HSBR model also provides an improved method for generating hyperspectral surface reflectance using multiband satellite measurements. It is shown that the land surface reflective spectrum can be easily simulated using BRDF parameters or reflectance at few preselected wavelengths. The HSBR model is validated using the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) vegetation database and the AVIRIS reflectance product. The simulated reflective spectra fit the measurements very well with standard deviations normally smaller than 0.01 in the unit of reflectivity. The HSBR model could be used to significantly improve the quality of the reflectance products of satellite and airborne sensors. It also plays important role for intercalibration among space-based instruments and other land surface related applications.

Keywords: BRDF; Ross-Li model; hyperspectral bidirectional reflectance model; land surface; remote sensing.