Robust Radiometric and Geometric Correction Methods for Drone-Based Hyperspectral Imaging in Agricultural Applications

Drone-mounted hyperspectral sensors (DHSs) have revolutionized remote sensing in agriculture by offering a cost-effective and flexible platform for high-resolution spectral data acquisition. Their ability to capture data at low altitudes minimizes atmospheric interference, enhancing their utility in agricultural monitoring and management. This study focused on addressing the challenges of radiometric and geometric distortions in preprocessing drone-acquired hyperspectral data. Radiometric correction, using the empirical line method (ELM) and spectral reference panels, effectively removed sensor noise and variations in solar irradiance, resulting in accurate surface reflectance values. Notably, the ELM correction improved reflectance for measured reference panels by 5-55%, resulting in a more uniform spectral profile across wavelengths, further validated by high correlations (0.97-0.99), despite minor deviations observed at specific wavelengths for some reflectors. Geometric correction, utilizing a rubber sheet transformation with ground control points, successfully rectified distortions caused by sensor orientation and flight path variations, ensuring accurate spatial representation within the image. The effectiveness of geometric correction was assessed using root mean square error (RMSE) analysis, revealing minimal errors in both east-west (0.00 to 0.081 m) and north-south directions (0.00 to 0.076 m). The overall position RMSE of 0.031 meters across 100 points demonstrates high geometric accuracy, exceeding industry standards. Additionally, image mosaicking was performed to create a comprehensive representation of the study area. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of the applied preprocessing techniques and highlight the potential of DHSs for precise crop health monitoring and management in smart agriculture. However, further research is needed to address challenges related to data dimensionality, sensor calibration, and reference data availability, as well as exploring alternative correction methods and evaluating their performance in diverse environmental conditions to enhance the robustness and applicability of hyperspectral data processing in agriculture.