The enhanced spectral resolution of hyperspectral and control of
bandwidths of multispectral data yield an advantage over color
aerial photography particularly when coral health and time
series analysis of coral reef community structure are of
interest. Depending on the type of instrument, a spectral
imaging system can be utilized to see multiple colors from
ultraviolet through the far infrared range. The AURORA
hyperspectral imaging system collected 72 ten nm bands in the
visible and near infrared spectral range with a 3 meter pixel
resolution. The data was processed to select band widths, which
optimized feature detection in shallow and deep water.
Photointerpreters can accurately and reliably delineate
boundaries of features in the imagery as they appear on the
computer monitor using a software interface such as the Habitat
Digitizer. The shallow band IDs and centers were configured as:
1) Band 17 at 508.319 nm 2) Band 22 at 547.918 nm 3) Band 27 at
605.516 nm The deep band IDs and centers were configured