DETECTION OF FUEL HYDROCARBONS USING HYPERSPECTRAL SATELLITE IMAGERY

Abstract

One of the richest industries in the world is the Oil and Gas sector. An enormous amount of money is spent on surveys and sensing techniques to identify the areas of the earth which most likely to contain petroleum resources. At large, they are exorbitant, cumbersome and protracted. The presence of fuel hydrocarbons exposed on earth gives some indication of the presence of oil or gas beneath the surface of the earth. With the advent of modern sensing and digital processing instruments, Remote Sensing is getting to newer heights. Hyperspectral remote sensing present opportunities for much more precise identification of features than is possible with broad-band multispectral sensors. Imaging spectroscopy (Hyperspectral Imagery) is a relatively new tool that can identify materials very precisely because of very thin bands applications. Though coarse spatial resolution is a limitation on such images, no detail can be spotted in a Hyperspectral image. Nevertheless, quiet astonishing is the superb spectral resolution it possesses, which provides significant clues about hydrocarbon composition. Hyperspectral data have details and accuracy that permits investigation of phenomena and concepts that greatly extend the scope of traditional remote sensing. Latest Hyperspectral data [ e.g. Airborne A VIRIS (Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer or Hyperion on board Earth Observing-I Satellite (EO-1) of NASA possess high resolution spectral imager capable of resolving 242 spectral bands (from 0.4 to 2.5 µm) with a 30-meter resolution. Such instruments can image a 7.5 km by 100 km land area per image, and provide detailed spectral mapping across all 242 channels with high radiometric accuracy. Therefore, E0-1 has tremendous potential to spot oil reserves very effectively. This data has a very high spectral and radiometric resolution and frequent coverage, and provides a means to mapping, measuring, modeling and regular monitoring of the resources. Thus it may be effectively applied for research and management of these resources. The digital image processing would encompass Geometric and Radiometric corrections, Atmospheric Calibration, Image enhancement protocols, Georeferencing, Mosaicing/ Sub setting and targeting the Area of interest (AOI) at desired map projection. The Spatial location; for the matched spectra's were mapped visually. Lastly, a Geographical Information System (GIS) locating petroleum hydrocarbons was prepared showing existing active oil wells and those locations which are indicated by the multi and hyperspectral Imageries for a meaningful comparison and future course of exploration. GIS can also be used to integrate other ancillary information like topographical sheets, revenue plans and administrative maps to analyze the viability of the exploration site.