ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the basic concepts of imaging spectroscopy and hyperspectral remote sensing (HRS) are introduced, and differences between multispectral remote sensing (MRS) and HRS. Then, the development stages of HRS with some representative missions and sensor systems in particular periods are described, and an overview of HRS applications is presented. HRS technology can provide detailed spectral information from every pixel in an image. Whereas HRS refers mostly to remote sensing, the emerging IS technique covers all spatial–spectral domains, from microscopic to macroscopic. HRS technology provides an innovative way to study many spatial phenomena on the Earth's surfaces and in the atmosphere by the merging of spectral and spatial information acquired by hyperspectral imaging systems and sensors. If the hyperspectral image data are of high quality, they can potentially allow near-laboratory level spectral sensing of targets from a distance.
