Radiometric Calibration in Infrared Optical Systems
Summary
Radiometric calibration in infrared optical systems is the process of converting raw detector signals into quantitative measures of radiance or temperature. This transformation is essential for ensuring that sensors mounted on satellites, aircraft or ground‐based platforms yield accurate and comparable data over time and across instruments. Key challenges include compensating for changes in detector sensitivity, optical path losses, internal stray radiation and environmental fluctuations. Calibration typically relies on well characterised reference sources such as blackbody emitters, internal shutters or natural targets. Onboard calibration schemes use built‐in blackbody references to track instrument drift, while vicarious calibration employs ground or ocean targets of known radiometric properties to validate on‐orbit performance. Advances in modelling of internal stray light, non‐uniformity correction and thermal equilibrium assumptions have driven improvements in accuracy, supporting applications from climate monitoring and land‐surface temperature mapping to defence and industrial process control.
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Radiometric Calibration in Infrared Optical Systems publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in radiometric calibration in infrared optical systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Radiometric Calibration: The procedure of converting sensor output signals into absolute radiance or temperature values.
Blackbody: An idealised emitter whose radiance depends solely on its temperature and follows Planck’s law.
Vicarious Calibration: The use of natural or man-made targets with known radiometric properties to validate and adjust sensor calibration on orbit.
On-board Calibration: An internal calibration scheme using built-in reference sources (such as blackbodies or shutters) to track instrument response over time.
Internal Stray Radiation: Unwanted radiation within the optical system caused by scattering or reflections that can bias detector readings.
References
- Evaluation of the Radiometric Calibration of ZY1-02E Thermal Infrared Data. Remote Sensing (2023).
- Calibration Method for Airborne Infrared Optical Systems in a Non-Thermal Equilibrium State. Sensors (2023).
- Equivalent Calibration Method Based on a Blackbody Baffle Substitution for a Large External Surface-Source Blackbody. Sensors (2022).
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