Development of a hyperspectral scene generator

Hyperspectral systems are increasingly being mated with on-board target detection algorithms. However the only way to test these algorithms is with field testing which are expensive and inherently unrepeatable. This paper will describe a Hyperspectral Scene Generator that can display hundreds of programmable high resolution spectra simultaneously. This allows a target to be inserted into a previously measured field for testing of a hyperspectral sensor and target detection algorithms in the lab. The design of the Hyperspectral Scene Generator is presently applied to the Visible and Near InfraRed (VNIR) and Short Wave InfraRed (SWIR) but may also be applied to the MidWave InfraRed (MWIR) and Long Wave InfraRed (LWIR) spectral region. Funding for this study is provided from Office of the Secretary of Defense and Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) to investigate the development of a hyperspectral scene generator that will have broad application to many hyperspectral systems.