Image Product Expression

The image product expression system is specifically used to generate (more or less complex) RGB composites from an ImageProduct.

Expression

An expression is split into 2 parts, one of them optional. The first part is the actual pixel expression, where you can express the desired output value for each channel via a mathematical expression based on the raw channel values. Possible combinations are summarized in this table :

Expression	Output
ch1	Grayscale
ch1, ch2	Grayscale Alpha
ch1, ch2, ch3	RGB
ch1, ch2, ch3, ch4	RGB Alpha

AVHRR ch2, ch2, ch1 Expression Example

The only variables available by default are raw channel values, named chCHNAME, with CHNAME being the instrument channel name, as displayed in the explorer under "Channels" (eg, Channel 3a becomes ch3a).

Those channel variables will be scaled from 0 to 1, with 0 being the minimum possible pixel value, and 1 the maximum. The expected output range is the same.

Additional definitions

In many situations it will be desirable to utilize more than just raw instrument channels. To this effect, it is possible to define many other types of variables.

Those definitions must be present in the expression because pixel values, and separated by ; instead of a normal coma. For example :

cch1=(1, reflective_radiance, 0.000000, 46.203000);
cch2=(1, reflective_radiance, 0.000000, 46.203000);
ch2, ch2, ch1

Calibrated Channel

This allows getting calibrated channels values as a variable.

Calibration Example

variable_name=(CHNAME, CALIBRATION_UNIT, MINCALVAL, MAXCALVAL);

• variable_name should be the desired variable name. Often cchCHNAME
• CALIBRATION_UNIT should be calibration unit ID string (TODOREWORK document)
• MINCALVAL value of the unit to be used as a minimum (scaled to 0)
• MAXCALVAL value of the unit to be used as a maximum (scaled to 1)

If CALIBRATION_UNIT is set to equalized, this will return the raw channel equalized (useful to stretch it on uncalibrated instruments for example).

Look-up table (1D/2D)

This lets you loading and utilizing a Look-Up Table in the expression.

LUT Example

lut_name=lut(path/to/lut.png)

• lut_name desired LUT function name
• path/to/lut.png path to a lut (can be any image format) relative to SatDump's resources folder

The lut can then be used as follow in an expression :

lut_name(x_pos, y_pos, lut_channel)

• x_pos LUT X position, expects 0 to 1
• y_pos LUT Y position, expects 0 to 1
• lut_channel LUT Channel index to get. Can be 0 up to the number of channels in the LUT image minus 1

Example to generate RGB with a LUT from a single channel :

lut=lut(path/to/lut.png);
lut(ch1, 0, 0), lut(ch1, 0, 1), lut(ch1, 0, 2)

Equirectangular Projected

Loads an equirectangular image (such as a NASA Blue Marble) and (given the instrument has projection information) will return its pixel value so it can be used just like any other channel.

EquP Example

equ_name=equp(path/to/image.png)

• equ_name desired EquP function name
• path/to/image.png Equirectangular image to load, relative to SatDump's resources folder

equ_name(equ_channel)

• equ_channel Equirectangular Channel index to get. Can be 0 up to the number of channels in the equirectangular image minus 1

Example to generate a RGB "MCIR" composite :

bm=equp(maps/nasa_hd.jpg); 
ch4 * (ch4) + (1-ch4) * bm(0), 
ch4 * (ch4) + (1-ch4) * bm(1), 
ch4 * (ch4) + (1-ch4) * bm(2)

Macros

Since some equations can become relatively complex, this allows having a simple concept of macros to simplify them. Do note that macros cannot be nested!

Alignement Example, made obvious by some missing lines in AWS MWR Data

macro_name = equation

Channel alignement/scaling

For several instruments, channels are not actually aligned with one or the other, or may be of different resolutions. SatDump will automatically deal with this.

Macro Example

The output alignment and size will be dictated by the first channel found in the equation. Therefore ch2, ch2, ch1 will lead to ch2 being used as the output size/offset, while ch1 * 0 + ch2, ch2, ch1 will generate the same output but using ch1 as an output reference. This behaviour can be overwritten by explicitely specifying ref_channel=1 if necessary. Do note said channel must be part of the expression still.

Wavelength/Frequency-based Channel selection

A lot of composites are common between several instruments, and re-writing them for each can be cumbersome. Instead, it is possible to automatically select a channel by specifying a wavelength or frequency.

Using {10.4um} will select the channel closest to 10.4um in the loaded instrument, and effectively will be getting replaced by 4 or whatever the actual channel number is. If you had ch{10.4um}, this would become ch4.

This works the same with calibrated channels :

cch2=({830nm}, sun_angle_compensated_reflective_radiance, 0.000000, 97.050700);
cch1=({630nm}, sun_angle_compensated_reflective_radiance, 0.000000, 90.000000);
cch2, cch2, cch1