Hyperspectral remote sensing
Topic: Remote Sensing, GIS and GNSS · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Hyperspectral remote sensing records hundreds of very narrow spectral bands that sit side by side. This gives each pixel an almost continuous reflectance curve. That curve can be matched to the spectral signature of a particular mineral, crop type or pollutant. Ordinary multispectral sensors record only a few broad bands, so they can say "vegetation" but often not which crop or how stressed it is. Hyperspectral data give that finer detail.
Example
ISRO launched HySIS in 2018. The Indian start-up Pixxel launched its Firefly satellites in 2025. Such data can help pick out minerals in rocky areas or detect pollution in rivers and lakes.
Don't confuse with
- Multispectral remote sensing: this uses a few broad, separate bands. Hyperspectral uses hundreds of narrow bands with no gaps between them.
Related concepts
- Sensor
- Photographic sensor
- Multispectral scanner
- Swath
- Whiskbroom scanner
- Instantaneous field of view
- Pushbroom scanner
- Passive and active remote sensing
- Radar
- Synthetic aperture radar