ISSN : 2230-7109 (Online) | ISSN : 2230-9543 (Print)

IJECT Vol. 4, Issue Spl - 5, July - Sept 2013

A Systematic Survey on Different Topographic Correction

Techniques for Rugged Terrain Satellite Imagery
1
1

Sartajvir Singh, 2Dr. Rajneesh Talwar

Dept. of ECE, Chitkara University, Himachal Pradesh, India

2
Chandigarh Engineering College, Punjab, India

Abstract
In remote sensed data, topographic corrections are very important
to overcome the topographic effects such as shadow effects. These
topographic effects occurs especially in case of rugged terrain
because sun facing slope represents maximum reflectance values
and opposite side slope represents minimum reflectance values.
These topographic effects leads to an inaccurate classification into
different land cover classes due to different topographic angles.
Therefore, effective removal or minimization of topographic
effects is necessary in satellite imagery data of rugged terrain
to extract the maximum information. Different topographic
correction techniques have been developed to reduce topographical
effects but each topographic technique has a different impact in
different situation. In paper report, all recently developed different
topographic correction techniques for land use/cover have been
discussed with their feature and limitation for rugged terrain.
Further research with comparative analysis of each method is
needed on a global basis to derive guidelines on which method
performs best under which situation.
Keywords
Topographic Effects, Satellite Image Preprocessing, Topographic
Correction Techniques, Slope Match
I. Introduction
Remote sensed data is only a practical mean to provide the earth
imagery for environment monitoring, forecasting of natural hazards
etc. But many satellite imageries are affected by atmospheric
distortions such as geometric distortion and topographic distortions.
In order to provide proper interpretation and analysis of the satellite
imagery, these distortions must be overcome or minimized. This
paper report generally focus on topographic effects that occurs
due to variations in observed radiance from an inclined surface
as compared to spectro-radiometric responses from a horizontal
surface as a function of effective incident angle and emergent
angle [1-2].
A number of topographic correction techniques have been
developed to reduce the topographic effects in satellite imagery
of mountainous region. It is also found [3-4] that some welldeveloped topographic correction algorithms are problematic
in operation, and some of them cannot perform well enough
in some situation. Every topographic correction technique has
different impact on different situation. In 1971, topographic
correction method involves simplest band ratio method in which
single band is divided by another band [5-6]. Another category
of topographic correction in which the Hyper-Spherical Direction
Cosine Transformation (HSDC) projects measurement vectors
onto a hyper-sphere.
In this paper report, all topographic correction based on Digital
Elevation Model (DEM), have been discussed. The topographic
correction techniques are generally divided in three categories. First
category involves lambertian topographic correction approaches
in which surface reflects irradiation in all directions equally and
direct irradiance is considered such as cosine [7-9], cosine-T [8],

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C-correction [8], cosine-C [7], smooth C [8], SCS (sun canopy

senor), SCS plus [4] etc. Second category involves non-lambertian
topographic correction approaches which diffuse irradiance is
modeled by means of constants wavelength dependent assessment
of the constants for each band separately reflection characteristics
depending on land cover individual constants such as Minneart
[10] etc. and third category involves empirical approaches in which
an empirically determined calibration coefficient (C) such as two
stage normalization [11], Slope match [12] etc. The main aim of
this paper report to the review of different topographic correction
techniques for rugged terrain.
This article is divided into five sections, following this introduction
of topographic correction categories, an overview preprocessing
methodology is presented in the second section, followed by
topographic correction with its types in subsections. In the fourth
section, discussion of prior studies on topographic correction
techniques and general conclusions are drawn in Section fifth.
II. Preprocessing Methodology
The Preprocessing of remote sensed imageries is very essential
for various correction such as geometric corrections, radiometric
correction and in addition this, topographic correction is also very
important for satellite image interpretation & further analysis.
These topographic corrections plays a very significant role
especially in case of rugged terrain satellite imagery. The essential
preprocessing methodology for satellite imagery interpretation
has shown in fig. 1.
III. Topographic Correction
The topographic corrections are generally refer to compensation
of topographic effects. The topographic correction must be
applied on reflectance image before perform on further analysis.
All topographic correction techniques discussed in paper are
based on Digital Elevation Model (DEM). The three categories
of topographic correction have been discussed in following
section.
Raw Satellite Imagery

Geometric
Corrections

Digital Elevation Model

Generation

Radiometric
Corrections

Estimation of
Reflectance
Imagery

Topographic
Corrections

Topographic Corrected
Reflectance Imagery

Aspect
Imagery

Slope
Imagery

Illumination Angle

Estimation of coefficients

Further Analysis e.g.

Change Detection,
monitoring

Fig. 1: Methodology of Satellite Image Preprocessing

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A. Lambertian Correction Approaches

The lambertian correction approaches are based on assumption the
surface reflects incident solar energy uniformly in all directions
equally. All Lambertain based topographic correction techniques
are discussed in following subparts.
1. Cosine Correction
The cosine topographic correction technique fall into lambertian
category in which surface is assumed to be a perfect diffuse
reflector and having the same amount of reflectance in all view
directions. Under the assumption of lambertian surfaces, the
cosine correction [3, 13] has been extensively used to correct
for illumination variations [3, 14]. It is calculated according to
following equation.
=

(1)
In above equation, spectral reflectance for horizontal surface
spectral reflectance observed over the inclined terrain is denoted
by
and
respectively. The solar zenith angle is denoted by
The Illumination (IL) is denoted by
[3, 7, 15].
2. Cosine-C Correction
In cosine-C correction technique, the average IL conditions has
been considered. It is a modified version cosine law lambertian
technique. This technique is wavelength independent, since the
correction is based on the same factor for all the bands as reported
in [16]. It is calculated according to following equation.
=

(2)

In above equation,
represents the mean of illumination of
study area and rest of parameters are same as equation (1)
3. Cosine-b Correction
In cosine-b correction technique, a coefficient
is added to
cosine law which is given by equation (3). Based on an examination
of satellite imagery, a linear relationship exists between spectral
reflectance observed over the inclined terrainand illumination in
the form (4), called regression equation. In equation (4),
and
parameters represents slope and intercept.
=

(3)

(4)

4. Smooth C correction
Smooth C [3] is a variation of C-correction method based on
a smoothed IL value. Most methods produce an overcorrection
in those pixels where IL is low. Therefore, a variation in the
calculation of the IL was carried out, by smoothing the original
slope with a smoothing factor of 3, 5, and 7 as proposed by [3].
The slope of surface and slope factor is denoted by in following
equation
and
, respectively.
= arc

(5)

5. SCS (Sun-Canopy-Sensor)
The SCS technique [17] involves normalizing the sunlit area
within a pixel without changing the sun and sensor positions or
the orientation, geometry, and structure of the canopy. Sun Canopy
Sensor (SCS) geometry should more effectively remove the
topographic effect on snow cover area. It is calculated according
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to following equation.
=

(6)

6. SCS+C
It is a modified sun-canopy-sensor [4] and introduced because
the SCS model overestimates radiance, a problem common
with earlier photometric models that do not characterize diffuse
radiation properly under some terrain orientation. Soenen et al. [4]
proposed the SCS+C correction where the moderator C is derived
using (4) and (8) but within the improved physical context of the
SCS model. This addition is intended to be an improvement to
the SCS correction in a similar way as the C-correction improves
on the cosine correction.
=

(7)

(8)

7. C-Huang Wei
C-Huang Wei method is used for topographic correction under
Lambertain methods [18] proposed by Huang Wei. In following
equation, Minimum value of spectral reflectance and IL is denoted
by
and
, respecticvely.
=(

(9)

B. Non-Lambertian Correction Approaches

It is reported in [19] lambertian assumptions are very unrealistic
on rugged region which leads to either underestimation or
overestimation of physical parameters significantly both on sunlit
slopes as well as the slopes away from the Sun. This problem is
overcome by considering non-lambertian assumption. The nonlambertian approaches diffuse irradiance is modeled by means
of constants wavelength dependent assessment of the constants
for each band separately reflection characteristics depending on
land cover individual constants.
1. Correction-C
In correction-c technique,
is introduced to the cosine correction
model as an additive term in (1) and rests of the parameters
same.
=

(10)

In above equation, correction coefficient is calculated according

to following equation (8),
and can be calculated using
equation (4).
2. Minneart Correction
The Minneart topographic correction technique [20-21] is nonLambertian and empirically derives for each band a Minneart
constant
using (8). Minneart constants are estimated by
calculating the slope of the regression line as in (4) and (8). The
value of Minneart constant
can be calculated according to
equation (11).
=

(11)

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IJECT Vol. 4, Issue Spl - 5, July - Sept 2013

Moreover, the Minneart method did not consistently normalize

radiance for the same incidence angle value from band to band
as reported in [19].
3. Pixel-Based Minneart Correction
As reported in [22], Minneart correction technique is most
frequently used for topographic correction, but a single global
Minneart value cannot effectively reduce topographic effects on
the remotely sensed data, especially in the areas with steep slopes.
This paper explores the method to develop a pixel-based Minneart
coefficient image based on the established relationship between
Minneart coefficients and topographic slopes. The evaluation
of topographic correction results is conducted based on texture
images, which are derived with the homogeneity texture measure.
The homogeneity is calculated with (12) and (13)

(12)

(13)
In above equation,
is the value in the cell
(row
and
column ) of the moving window, and n is the number of rows
or columns. In order to explore the effects of slope on topographic
correction results, a mean homogeneity value for each slop is
calculated with (14).

(14)
In above equation,
is the mean value of homogeneity at
the slope
, and
is the number of samples in the slope
.
Higher
values indicate more homogenous.
C. Empirical Correction Approaches
The Empirical correction approaches involves an empirically
The Empirical topographic
determined calibration coefficient
correction techniques have been discussed in following sub
section.
1. Two Stage Normalization
Before implementing the two stage normalization topographic
correction technique, the reflectance imagery must be normalized
using the illumination model. Then the single stage normalization
is calculated according to following equation.
=

(15)

In above equation,
normalized reflectance values for image pixel
in wave band. It is reported in [19] the further improvement
in topographic correction by Civco [7] from the satellite imagery
in second stage normalization process in which an empirically
estimated calibration coefficient
second stage process is
computed according to following equation.

(16)
In above equation,
represents uncorrected reflectance
imagery. The parameter north aspect and north aspect after
first stage normalization is represented by
and
. The
second stage normalization correction must be implemented on
uncorrected reflectance image according to following equation to
generate topographic corrected
imagery:

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International Journal of Electronics & Communication Technology

(17)

2. Slope Match
A recently developed slope match topographic correction technique
[12] involves certain modifications to Civcos method [7] and
performed the correction in two stages because they observed that
Civcos [7] not provide the well results in shadow areas as per
reported in [9]. The final reflectance for topographic correction is
estimated using (12) proposed by Nichol and others [12].
=

(18)

In above equation,
represents the topographically corrected
reflectance imagery. The spectral reflectance on the tilted surface is
represented by
. The parameters
and
represents
maximum and minimum reflectance, respectively and estimated
from topographically uncorrected reflectance
image,
is mean value of illumination on the south aspect. The parameter
is normalization coefficient for different satellite bands and
estimated using equation given in the literature [12].

(19)
In above equation,
representes mean reflectance on sunlit
slopes after first stage normalization,
represents mean
reflectance on shady slopes in uncorrected reflectance imagery
and
is the mean reflectance value on shady slope after first
stage normalization.
3. VECA
A simple empirical based topographic correction technique, the
variable Empirical coefficient Algorithm (VECA) , was developed
[18] using theoretical and statistics analysis of the radiance values
of remotely sensed data acquired for rugged terrain and the cosine
. In case of topographic
of the solar illumination angle
effect being involved, the statistical relationship between imagery
radiance and topographic variable
can be calculated
according to following equation.

(20)
In above equation,
represents the mean of the corrected pixel
radiance value of the imagery and
represents the mean of the
uncorrected pixel radiance value of the imagery. A parameter
is an adjustment factor. The rugged terrain located on the North
Slope represents an adjustment factor as
, and on the
South slope
when surface is the horizontal
.
An adjustment factor
decrease with the increase of
means
are inversely proportional to each other. So an
adjustment parameter controls the topographic corrections, that
why it is called Variable Empirical Coefficient Algorithm.
IV. Results and Discussion
All above mentions techniques are based on DEM. The simplest
lambertian cosine correction tended to be over-corrected, with
slopes facing away from the sun appearing brighter than sunfacing slopes due to diffuse sunlight being relatively more
influential on the shady slope. An improvement in cosine law
is done by introducing a coefficient
in cosine law, called
cosine-c which is a wavelength independent. Further improvement
in Cosine law is done by introducing a coefficient
in cosine
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law, called cosine-b which is based on regression equation. But

these methods are generally overcorrect the results. The SCS
technique is more appropriate than other corrections but in some
terrain orientations, SCS faces an overcorrection problem similar
to other simple photometric functions. To overcome this problem,
SCS+C correction has been introduced which accounts for diffuse
atmospheric irradiance based on the C-correction.
This hypothesis of lambertian reflectance characteristics considers
only direct irradiance although the proportion of diffuse skylight
can be relatively high, particularly in weakly illuminated areas.
Several non-lambertian techniques have been developed to account
for the shortcomings of the lambertian assumption. The nonlambertian Minneart technique showed, for all bands and images,
the highest residual (or introduced) topographic correlation of
corrected radiance data. Moreover, the Minneart method did not
consistently normalize radiance for the same incidence angle value
from band to band. Minneart method has indicated the drawback
of using a single global k value in topographic correction, but no
effective approaches have been developed. This research develops
a new approach for calculation of a pixel-based k image based
on the relationship between k and slope and uses a homogeneity
approach to evaluate the topographic correction result.
Afterwards, empirical based topographic correction have been
developed which involves two-stage normalization, slope match,
VECA etc. The two-stage normalization technique it does not
equalize the reflectance imagery between the south and north
aspect instead of this consider only mean IL. So slope match
technique corrected reflectance imagery is normalized to the
mean illumination level of pixels on the north aspect rather
than the overall mean illumination value of the entire image.
The slope matching topographic correction technique adjusts the
brightness between northern and southern slopes and provides
true quantitative retrieval of spectral reflectance, especially in
shadow area.
IV. Conclusion
In this article, different topographic correction techniques for
rugged terrain have been reviewed and summarized with their
merits and demerits. It is found that each topographic perform
different in different situation, some methods over estimate and
under estimate the parameters but still some methods perform
superb under different situation so further research is needed with
imagery on a global basis to derive guidelines on which method
performs best under which situation.
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Sensing, Vol. 41, No. 11, 2003, pp. 2586 2590.

[22] Dengsheng Lu, Hongli Ge, Shizhen He, Aijun Xu, Guomo
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Sartajvir Singh,is an Assistant Professor at the Department of

Electronics and Communication, Chitkara University, Himachal
Pradesh, India. His research interest is in the area of Digital Image
Processing.
Dr. Rajneesh Talwar, is presently working as Principal at
Chandigarh Engineering College, Landran Punjab, India. He has
professional experience of more than ten years in teaching and
research.

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