Thematic mapper - An overview of spectral band registration

The Thematic Mapper (TM) is a high-resolution radiometer designed for earth resources classification and mapping. The TM employs multispectral scanning in a near polar orbit to sweep a 185-km swath. Data are obtained through a combination of spacecraft motion and the sweeping action of the scan mirror. These data are transmitted either directly to ground stations around the world or through a relay to the central data processing facility at White Sands, NM. Seven spectral passbands are employed, and applications include coastal water mapping, soil vegetation differentiation, biomass surveys, water body delineation, vegetation moisture measurement, plant heat stress management, and hydrothermal mapping. Attention is given to the scan mirror assembly, scan nonlinearities, the characterization and compensation of scan profiles, experimental performance, and a procedure for midscan correction.