From Image to Insight: How GEOINT Automation Is Changing the Speed of Decision-Making

4/28/2025

When every second counts, the ability to process geospatial data rapidly and accurately isn’t just helpful, it’s critical. Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT) has always played a pivotal role in defense, security, and disaster response. But in high-tempo operations, traditional workflows are no longer fast enough. Analysts are... Read More >

Thermal Infrared Echoes: Illuminating the Last Gasp of a Dying Star

4/24/2025

This blog was written by Eli Dwek, Emeritus, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD and Research Fellow, Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian, Cambridge, MA. It is the fifth blog in a series showcasing our IDL® Fellows program which supports passionate retired IDL users who may need support to continue their work... Read More >

A New Era of Hyperspectral Imaging with ENVI® and Wyvern’s Open Data Program

2/25/2025

This blog was written in collaboration with Adam O’Connor from Wyvern. As hyperspectral imaging (HSI) continues to grow in importance, access to high-quality satellite data is key to unlocking new insights in environmental monitoring, agriculture, forestry, mining, security, energy infrastructure management, and more.... Read More >

Ensure Mission Success With the Deployable Tactical Analytics Kit (DTAK)

2/11/2025

In today’s fast-evolving world, operational success hinges on real-time geospatial intelligence and data-driven decisions. Whether it’s responding to natural disasters, securing borders, or executing military operations, having the right tools to integrate and analyze data can mean the difference between success and failure.... Read More >

How the COVID-19 Lockdown Improved Air Quality in Ecuador: A Deep Dive Using Satellite Data and ENVI® Software

1/21/2025

The COVID-19 pandemic drastically altered daily life, leading to unexpected environmental changes, particularly in air quality. Ecuador, like many other countries, experienced significant shifts in pollutant concentrations due to lockdown measures. In collaboration with Geospace Solutions and Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas ESPE,... Read More >

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4.3

New ENVI Deep Learning Object Detection Tool Reduces Labeling and Training Time

JP Metcalf Tuesday, February 22, 2022

The newest release of ENVI® Deep Learning can drastically reduce labeling and training time. If your features of interest are objects rather than landcover, the new object detection tool in ENVI Deep Learning 1.2 provides the ability to create object detection models alongside the existing pixel segmentation. Object labeling is performed by creating vector bounding boxes to encapsulate areas of pixels. You can also easily convert existing pixel segmentation projects to object detection training images by using the “Build Object Detection Raster from ROI” tool. It’s as simple as choosing a starting point and an ending point.

This blog outlines a disaster response project where I mapped rooftop tarps following Hurricane Delta in 2020. When I started the project, the latest imagery available was collected just after Hurricane Delta made its way through the state of Louisiana causing $3 billion in damage. Initially I made a pixel segmentation Deep Learning model to classify blue and green tarps using aerial imagery hosted by the NOAA’s Emergency Response Imagery website https://storms.ngs.noaa.gov/. This dataset contained 1,233 tiled images covering 2.8 by 2.8 km with a spatial resolution of 20 cm.

Analyze large areas of interest with ENVI Deep Learning

Figure 1: Spatial extent of imagery collected and hosted by NOAA Storms following Hurricane Delta in October 2020.

Use ENVI Deep Learning to quickly identify objects

Figure 2: Pixel segmentation results uploaded to ArcGIS Portal in vector format showing accurate delineation of tarps.

Out of the 1,233 tiled images, I chose six tiles containing damaged residential areas to label both blue and green tarps to train a pixel segmentation deep learning model. Once the model was trained, I used ENVI Modeler to batch classify each of the 1,233 tiles, convert the classification images to shapefiles and then upload to ArcGIS Portal for public dissemination. The entire process took approximately 24 hours, including the time to label the tarps, train the deep learning model, and batch process the vector products.

When the ENVI Deep Learning module added object detection in version 1.2, I wanted to see if the same tarp detection project workflow would realize a benefit in terms of speed. The short answer: It did. Training a new object detection model was straight forward. I just needed to convert the labeling completed for pixel segmentation to bounding boxes, and this was easily accomplished using the “Build Object Detection Raster from ROI” tool. This tool asks for an image and associated Regions of Interest (ROIs) as input and the resulting product is an image with labels shown as bounding boxes. Once I had converted my six labeled images, I trained a new deep learning model to find blue and green tarps and output the results as vector bounding boxes. This bypassed the time it took to convert a raster classification into vectors.

Quickly create object detection workflows

Figure 3: Bounding box results for tarps after converting a pixel segmentation Deep Learning workflow to an object detection workflow.

After creating both pixel segmentation and object detection workflows, I found that the object detection workflow lends itself to detecting rooftop tarps since I just needed to know the location of the tarps and not an accurate delineation. Having the outputs already in vector format allows for a quicker turnaround for dissemination of tarp locations to disaster response stakeholders.

If you missed the “What’s New in ENVI Deep Learning 1.2” webinar, the video can be found here.