A universal physically-based topographic correction framework for high-resolution optical satellite data

作者：Yichuan Ma, Shunlin Liang, Wanshan Peng, Tao He, Han Ma, Yongzhe Chen, Wenyuan Li, Jianglei Xu, Shikang Guan · 发表于：ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1016/j.isprsjprs.2025.05.027 · 被引用次数：19 · 研究领域：Satellite Image Processing and Photogrammetry、Remote Sensing and LiDAR Applications、Remote Sensing in Agriculture

Surface reflectance, retrieved via atmospheric correction from top-of-atmosphere (TOA) observations, characterizes the intrinsic properties of the Earth’s surface. Despite its importance, topographic effects are often neglected in surface reflectance retrievals, introducing significant uncertainties, particularly over mountainous regions. Existing topographic correction methods, while numerous, commonly face challenges: physically-based approaches require accurate atmospheric parameters (often unavailable in complex terrains) and are computationally intensive, whereas semi-empirical methods depend on empirical parameters that can lead to overcorrection or inconsistent performance across diverse conditions. Additionally, prior studies have predominantly utilized data from a single satellite platform, limiting the applicability and transferability of topographic correction algorithms across diverse datasets. To overcome these limitations, we introduce a Universal Topographic Correction (UTC) framework, a physically-based approach designed for seamless integration with multiple high-resolution satellite and airborne datasets. The UTC integrates spectral information from extensive radiative transfer simulations with image-derived spatial information to optimize spectral direct irradiance ratios, a key component of physically-based correction, while accounting for shadow effects and digital elevation model (DEM)-induced errors through targeted processing along shadow boundaries. W...