ASPIS (Advanced SPectroscopic Imaging System) is a novel airborne digital multispectral imaging system for research and monitoring of agricultural and forest environment and consists of:
- Four digital cameras with two dimensional CCD (512x768 pixel) with quantum efficiency in the spectral range of 0.4 a 1.0 nm, radiometric resolution of 14bit (16384 grey levels) and cooled Peltier cell (- 40°C);
- Spectral bands are selected by interferential filters on fly;
- Four lens12 mm, f/2, FOV 38°;
- A panchromatic digital cinecamera;
- GPS;
- Monitor 12 LCD and computer Pentium III 750 MHz.
The aircraft is a certificated airborne (JAR-VLA), named Sky Arrow 650tc. ASPIS acquires four digital images at the same time, each one in the selected spectral band. The digital panchromatic cinecamera allows to view and to record wide area film at true colour. The GPS acquires the geographic coordinates of the image.
Aircraft measurements are made at 800-1000m above ground level, to obtain an average spatial resolution of 60-70cm/pixel. Acquired spectral bands are: 550, 680, 700, 699.8, 719.3, 733.5, 748.5 and 780nm. At same time of the flights, total phytomass, divided in dead and live material, and plant area index (LAI) are sampled in 10x10m plots at each site. The plots are characterised by different species composition and biomass levels, and provide ground truth data for comparison with remote sensing data.
More information on the CARBOMONT project can be found at: http://carbomont.uibk.ac.at