Abstract:The Landsat 8 spacecraft was launched on 11 February 2013 carrying two imaging payloads: the Operational Land Imager (OLI) and the Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS). The TIRS instrument employs a refractive telescope design that is opaque to visible wavelengths making prelaunch geometric characterization challenging. TIRS geometric calibration thus relied heavily on on-orbit measurements. Since the two Landsat 8 payloads are complementary and generate combined Level 1 data products, the TIRS geometric performance requirements emphasize the co-alignment of the OLI and TIRS instrument fields of view and the registration of the OLI reflective bands to the TIRS long-wave infrared emissive bands. The TIRS on-orbit calibration procedures include measuring the TIRS-to-OLI alignment, refining the alignment of the three TIRS sensor chips, and ensuring the alignment of the two TIRS spectral bands. The two key TIRS performance metrics are the OLI reflective to TIRS emissive band registration accuracy, and the registration accuracy between the TIRS thermal bands. The on-orbit calibration campaign conducted during the commissioning period provided an accurate TIRS geometric model that enabled TIRS Level 1 data to meet all geometric accuracy requirements. Seasonal variations in TIRS-to-OLI alignment have led to several small calibration parameter adjustments since commissioning.

ABSTRACT:Photogrammetric mapping using Commercial of the Shelf (COTS) cameras is becoming more popular. Their popularity is augmented by the increasing use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) as a platform for mapping. The mapping precision of these methods can be increased by using a calibrated camera. The USGS/EROS has developed an inexpensive, easy to use method, particularly for calibrating short focal length cameras. The method builds on a self-calibration procedure developed for the USGS EROS Data Center by Pictometry (and augmented by Dr. C.S Fraser), that uses a series of coded targets. These coded targets form different patterns that are imaged from nine different locations with differing camera orientations. A free network solution using collinearity equations is used to determine the calibration parameters. For the smaller focal length COTS cameras, the USGS has developed a procedure that uses a small prototype box that contains these coded targets. The design of the box is discussed, along with best practices for calibration procedure. Results of calibration parameters obtained using the box are compared with the parameters obtained using more established standard procedures.