Proceedings Article | 17 May 2006
KEYWORDS: Image analysis, Sensors, Image registration, Image processing, Algorithm development, Image fusion, Image sensors, Detection and tracking algorithms, Feature extraction, Prototyping
Current surveillance and reconnaissance systems require improved capability to enable the co-registration of larger
images, combining enhanced temporal, spatial, and spectral resolutions. However, such proficient remote sensing
systems cannot employ traditional manual exploitation techniques to cope successfully with the avalanche of data to be
processed and analyzed. Automated image exploitation tools may be employed if the images are already co-registered
together. Therefore, there is a need to develop fully automated co-registration algorithms able to deal with different
scenarios, and helpful to be used successively for numerous applications such as image data fusion, change detection,
and target detection. This paper describes the Automated Multi-sensor Image Registration (AMIR) system and
embedded algorithms under development at DRDC-Valcartier. The AMIR system provides a framework for the
automated multi-date registration of electro-optic images, acquired from different sensors and from dissimilar oblique
view angles. The system is characterized by its fully automated nature, where no user intervention prevailed. Advanced
image algorithms are used in order to supply the capability to register multi-date electro-optic images acquired from
different viewpoints, under singular operational conditions, multiple scenarios (e.g. airport, harbor, vegetation, urban,
etc.), different spatial resolutions (e.g. IKONOS/QuickBird, Airborne/Spaceborne), while providing sub-pixel accuracy
registration level.
