EnMAP-Box: Imaging spectroscopy in QGIS
Benjamin Jakimow, Andreas Janz, Fabian Thiel, Akpona Okujeni, Patrick Hostert, Sebastian van der Linden
Abstract
Satellite missions like EnMAP and PRISMA generate raster images that describe the Earth’s environment with hyperspectral resolution. Such imaging spectroscopy data is of high value for applications in, e.g., geological, vegetation, or hydrological research. Due to its high dimensionality, analyzing imaging spectroscopy data is still challenging and often requires the use of proprietary software. The motivation for the EnMAP-Box is to close this gap and to foster the use of imaging spectroscopy data with state-of-the art remote sensing methods. Developed as Python plugin for the QGIS geoinformation system, the EnMAP-Box integrates into a well-established, platform-independent, and free-and-open-source software ecosystem to analyze geospatial data. The EnMAP-Box offers advanced functionalities to visualize and process hyper- and multispectral, and multi-temporal remote sensing data, it implements novel spectral libraries concept, and provides easy access to published algorithms from different fields of environmental research. Already been widely used in the past, the EnMAP-Box can now unfold its full potential as first operational EnMAP data became available in 2022.