An Introduction to Image Sharpening Tools in SAGA GIS

Introduction

Remote Sensing Image Sharpening

What is image sharpening?

Image sharpening is a method that has developed out of one of the balancing acts inherent to remotely sensed imagery: the trade-off between spectral resolution and spatial resolution. Multispectral imagery sensors record detailed information in several spectral bands (red, green , blue, near-infrared, etc.), but at the cost of reduced spatial resolution. In comparison, panchromatic imagery sensors record all spectral information in one band, allowing it to collect more spatial details (increased spatial resolution) at the cost of spectral information (ex: panchromatic imagery is in greyscale, not colour). Image sharpening is designed to combine the best of both worlds: multispectral imagery with high spectral resolution (colour, near-infrared, etc.) but lower spatial resolution, and panchromatic imagery with low spectral resolution (greyscale) but higher spectral resolution into one image with both high spectral and spatial resolution.