Using ENVI and IDL to Study Geological Processes on the Surface of Mars
Anonym
Customer Challenge
In order to study the geomorphology of mars, planetary geologists from Paris’ Institute of Physique of the Earth needed a flexible image exploitation solution that provided built-in analysis capabilities, while allowing customization to meet the needs of scientists in the various disciplines that make up the team.
Solution Achieved
Geomorphology, the study of landforms, their origin, and evolution, is used by researchers to help scientists determine how weather, time and other factors affect planets. Understanding how other planets have fared over time can help us to understand what the future holds for our planet. At the Institute of Physique of the Earth in Paris, a team of geologists studied the geomorphology of the Martian surface to determine how the planet's surface compares to that of the Earth, and to understand their similarities and differences.
In order to study the geomorphology, the team requires large amounts of image data from the planet, which is 46,000,000 miles from the surface of the Earth. To obtain data, they used state-of-the-art, high definition remote sensing instruments, as well as ENVI® and IDL® for processing and analyzing their data. The sensors were The Mars Odyssey’s Laser Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) instrument, and the Mars Express’ High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) instrument.
The team chose ENVI for its industry-leading, built-in image analysis and visualization capabilities that could be easily customized to suit their specific requirements. The end result is a unique solution that allows scientists to quite easily perform complex analyses on the data and subsequently determine the planet's geologic makeup, map land areas, and create large-scale visualizations.
Throughout the innovative project, the geologists used ENVI for most of their image processing needs, including:
- Extracting raw data and presenting models of Martian surface features
- Creating image mosaics - compilations of multiple images
- Creating classified maps categorizing different types of land cover
- Creating DEMs (Digital Elevation Models), which provide spatially accurate, 3-D representations
Solution Achieved
- Researchers are able to use remotely sensed data and create accurate representations and analyses to understand the topography of Mars, in turn understanding more about the Earth.
- ENVI is easily customized using IDL - the team has built in functionality available and flexibility to create custom functionality in the same package.
- Scientists from many different disciplines working on the project can collaborate and use the same tools - ENVI and IDL - for their analyses.