ASDToolkit: A Novel MATLAB Processing Toolbox for ASD Field Spectroscopy Data (Software)

Field spectroscopy is an important component of remote sensing studies for the characterization of the surface reflectance of materials in situ within a broad range of applications. The measured energy from solar-reflected range spectroradiometers is influenced by the viewing and illumination geometries and the illumination conditions which vary due to changes in solar position and atmospheric conditions. By applying corrections, the estimated absolute reflectance of targets can be calculated. This property is independent of illumination intensity or conditions and is the metric commonly suggested to be used to compare spectra even when data are collected by different sensors or acquired under different conditions. By standardizing the process of estimated R_abs, as is provided by this toolkit, consistency and repeatability in processing are ensured and the otherwise labor intensive and error-prone processing steps are streamlined. The resultant end data product represents our best current effort to generate consistent and comparable ground spectra which have been corrected for viewing and illumination geometries as well as other factors such as the individual characteristics of the reference panel used during acquisition.