The enhanced spectral resolution of hyperspectral and control of bandwidths of multispectral data yield an advantage over color aerial photography particularly when coral health and time series analysis of coral reef community structure are of interest. Depending on the type of instrument, a spectral imaging system can be utilized to see multiple colors from ultraviolet through the far infrared range. The AURORA hyperspectral imaging system collected 72 ten nm bands in the visible and near infrared spectral range with a 3 meter pixel resolution. The data was processed to select band widths, which optimized feature detection in shallow and deep water. Photointerpreters can accurately and reliably delineate boundaries of features in the imagery as they appear on the computer monitor using a software interface such as the Habitat Digitizer.
The shallow band IDs and centers were configured as: 1) Band 17 at 508.319 nm 2) Band 22 at 547.918 nm 3) Band 27 at 605.516 nm
The deep band IDs and centers were configured as: 1) Band 11 at 450.001 nm 2) Band 22 at 547.918 nm 3) Band 33 at 663.835 nm