A comparative analysis of image fusion methods

• Published in: IEEE transactions on geoscience and remote sensing Vol. 43; no. 6; pp. 1391 - 1402
• Main Authors: Zhijun Wang, Ziou, D., Armenakis, C., Li, D., Qingquan Li
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY IEEE 01.06.2005; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Applied geophysics; Approximation; Consistency; Defense industry; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Exact sciences and technology; Filtering; Filtering algorithms; General image fusion (GIF) method; Image analysis; image formation principle; Image fusion; Image resolution; Intensity modulation; Internal geophysics; Mathematical analysis; Methods; Modulation; Multispectral imaging; Pixel; Pixels; Principal component analysis; Principal components analysis; Studies; Wavelet analysis; Wavelet transforms; Canada; Quebec; Eastern Canada; experimental studies; algorithms; image fusion; Space remote sensing; image formation principle; North America; image analysis; principal components analysis; saturation; General image fusion (GIF) method; correlation coefficient; filtering; Pixel; high resolution
• ISSN: 0196-2892; 1558-0644
• DOI: 10.1109/TGRS.2005.846874

There are many image fusion methods that can be used to produce high-resolution multispectral images from a high-resolution panchromatic image and low-resolution multispectral images. Starting from the physical principle of image formation, this paper presents a comprehensive framework, the general image fusion (GIF) method, which makes it possible to categorize, compare, and evaluate the existing image fusion methods. Using the GIF method, it is shown that the pixel values of the high-resolution multispectral images are determined by the corresponding pixel values of the low-resolution panchromatic image, the approximation of the high-resolution panchromatic image at the low-resolution level. Many of the existing image fusion methods, including, but not limited to, intensity-hue-saturation, Brovey transform, principal component analysis, high-pass filtering, high-pass modulation, the a/spl grave/ trous algorithm-based wavelet transform, and multiresolution analysis-based intensity modulation (MRAIM), are evaluated and found to be particular cases of the GIF method. The performance of each image fusion method is theoretically analyzed based on how the corresponding low-resolution panchromatic image is computed and how the modulation coefficients are set. An experiment based on IKONOS images shows that there is consistency between the theoretical analysis and the experimental results and that the MRAIM method synthesizes the images closest to those the corresponding multisensors would observe at the high-resolution level.