title: Field demonstration of an instrument performing automatic classification of geologic surfaces.
abstract: This work presents a method with which to automate simple aspects of geologic image analysis during space exploration. Automated image analysis on board the spacecraft can make operations more efficient by generating compressed maps of long traverses for summary downlink. It can also enable immediate automatic responses to science targets of opportunity, improving the quality of targeted measurements collected with each command cycle. In addition, automated analyses on Earth can process large image catalogs, such as the growing database of Mars surface images, permitting more timely and quantitative summaries that inform tactical mission operations. We present TextureCam, a new instrument that incorporates real-time image analysis to produce texture-sensitive classifications of geologic surfaces in mesoscale scenes. A series of tests at the Cima Volcanic Field in the Mojave Desert, California, demonstrated mesoscale surficial mapping at two distinct sites of geologic interest.
authors.affiliation: 1 Jet Propulsion Laboratory , California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA .
authors.forename: Dmitriy L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Bekker
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: William J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Abbey
authors.forename: Nathalie A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Cabrol
authors.forename: Raymond
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Francis
authors.forename: Ken S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Manatt
authors.forename: Kevin F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Ortega
authors.forename: Kiri L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Wagstaff
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D001331:Automation; D002140:California; D005844:Geology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D010781:Photography / Q000295:instrumentation; D012372:ROC Curve; D013499:Surface Properties; D014584:User-Computer Interface