HyGeoMa expert system

The mapping of minerals belongs to the main tasks of a geology focused remote sensing. Concurrently, mineral maps enable further considerations or applications, e.g. hydrothermal alteration zone detection. The uniqueness of spectral absorption features serves in most approaches as base for the identification and differentiation of surface elements such as minerals.

Knowledge-based techniques like HyGeoMa (Hyperspectral Geological Mapper) expert system provide promising approaches to safely qualify and to distinguish minerals. Basically, the expert system statistically compares library spectra with unknown spectra. Thereby, this approach is mainly based on ranking weighted sums of feature correlation coefficients and on a complex filtering of the results due to, for example, minimum albedo, optional and not features, continuum slope etc.

Extending the expert system to improve mineral detection and to enable a broad set of applications is currently researched and may provide a safe base for geological applications.