Objective Methods for Registering Landmarks and Determining Cloud Motions from Satellite Data,
Abstract
Methods are described for matching landmarks in cloud photographs made by ATS satellites so that sequences of such photographs can be precisely registered. Cloud motions may then be derived by comparing positioned data on successive pictures. Accurate registration is needed because the satellites cannot be placed in ideal synchronous orbits with perfect attitude stability. Thus, the satellite subpoint and attitude angles vary with time. For the ATS-III satellite the perturbations are small enough to allow corrections to be made. The methods given in this report are objective and are performed by the computer, using digital brightness data. In a general way they simulate human (visual) techniques for performing the same sort of manipulations. Corrections needed to register one picture to another are determined from the data transmitted by the satellite and recorded by a ground station and do not depend on knowledge of the spacecraft's behavior. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1971
- Accession Number
- AD0740326
Entities
People
- A. E. Brain
- D. E. Wolf
- D. J. Hall
- R. M. Endlick
Organizations
- SRI International