Definition: Spectral resolution

Category: Land Use/Land Cover

The spectral resolution describes the ability of a sensor to distinguish between fine wavelength intervals. Remote sensing systems record the reflected proportion of radiation in several separate wavelength ranges (so-called spectral bands or channels) at various spectral resolutions. The finer the spectral resolution, the narrower the wavelength range for a particular channel or band, the better different objects can be detected and distinguished. Advanced multi-spectral sensors, called hyperspectral sensors, detect hundreds of very narrow spectral bands throughout the visible, near infrared and mid-infrared portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Their very high spectral resolution facilitates fine discrimination between different targets based on their spectral response in each of the narrow bands. http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/ramon/statmanuals/files/KS-34-00-407-__-I-EN.pdf#page=31