Satellites can take digital images of Earth, but if they’re not calibrated, those images are only pretty pictures. That’s according to Dennis Helder, head of the image processing lab at South Dakota State University.
Since 1990, the Brookings lab has been calibrating images from the Landsat satellites through work with USGS EROS Data Center near Baltic. Engineers must routinely visit calibration sites to compare readings with satellite-based measurements to make sure images are accurate. SDSU imaging engineer Larry Leigh has received a one-year, $46,000 Google Earth Engine Research award to look for more sites that can be used to calibrate earth-imaging satellites.
Leigh joined Dakota Midday and discussed the research award.