Multispectral imaging

In Multispectral imaging, the image data is collected at specific frequencies across the electromagnetic spectrum. The wavelengths are separated by filters or by the use of instruments that are sensitive to particular wavelengths, including light from frequencies beyond the visible light range, such as infrared.

The most obvious benefit of Multi-Spectral imaging is that it can allow extraction of additional information the human eye fails to capture with its receptors for red, green and blue. It was originally developed for space-based imaging. Dividing the spectrum into many bands, multispectral is the opposite of panchromatic, which records only the total intensity of radiation falling on each pixel. Usually, satellites have three or more radiometers. Each one acquires one digital image in a small band of visible spectra, ranging from 0.7 µm to 0.4 µm, called red-green-blue (RGB) region, and going to infrared wavelengths of 0.7 µm to 10 or more µm, classified as near infrared (NIR), middle infrared (MIR) and far infrared (FIR or thermal).

In the above note 13, the signature of William Shakespeare was reconstructed by Multispectral imaging technology which involves 12 different wavelengths of light helped researchers to reconstruct “Wm Shakespeare” on the title page of the legal treatise “Archaionomia”.

Lazarus Project

Lazarus Project, is an effort to revive damaged texts using a technique called multispectral imaging. In the above note, the signature was reconstructed by Multispectral imaging technology was a part of Lazarus Project.


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