Collaboration on Miniature Hyperspectral Ultraspectral Camera System

BEER-SHEVA, Israel…December 27, 2016 – ImageSat International (ISI) and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) announced a collaboration to leverage BGU’s breakthrough spectroscopy imaging research and develop a high performance, high resolution hyperspectral/ultraspectral imaging system with vast flight- and space-based remote sensing applications.

Remote sensing from space or aircraft has a wide range of applications including agriculture, climate and pollution monitoring, homeland security, and commodity exploration.

The compressive sensing technology utilized in this new camera system, which has been significantly miniaturized, requires only a tenth of the data traditionally needed to quickly produce high-resolution images.

The new camera system is based on the research of Prof. Adrian Stern, head of BGU’s Unit of Electro-Optical Engineering; Prof. Dan Blumberg, BGU vice president and dean of research and development; postdoctoral fellow Dr. Isaac August; and Ph.D. student Yaniv Oknin, who developed a miniature ultra-spectral imaging system that is compact, simple to operate and more cost-efficient than current systems.

Spectroscopic imaging collects and processes information that can help isolate and identify “signature fingerprints” found in objects, chemical substances or material defects that are not detectable by the human eye. While the human eye generally sees color in three bands of light (red, green and blue), spectral imaging divides images into many more bands to capture additional data across the electromagnetic spectrum.

Hyperspectral imaging sensors measure the light reflected by the earth’s surface in different wavelengths, ranging from one- to several-hundred-per-pixel. This generates significant amounts of data that must be transmitted to the earth for processing, and may require enormous bandwidth.

“This new technology based on BGU research could lead to a new generation of spectral systems for flight and space-based remote sensing,” says Prof. Dan Blumberg. “The collaboration between academia and industry is a sterling example of the ‘NewSpace’ concept, which promotes innovation and creativity in the space industry and will enable ImageSat to become the leader in the field of hyperspectral imaging.”