FLAIR: Four-Scale Linear Model for Anisotropic Reflectance

FLAIR is provided here as a Web-based evaluation tool that can be used to interactively explore the relationship between radiation reflected from different vegetation canopies and observational variables, such as spectral band and view/sun geometry. This type of exploration is particularly helpful for developing an understanding of hyperspectral signatures.

This FLAIR Web-based tool operates only in one-band in forward mode. It requires the user to specify basic optical and architectural properties of a vegetation canopy, and a view/sun geometry. The tool determines the bidirectional reflectance for that canopy for the given set of variables. By altering properties, the user can observe their effect on the Bidirectional Reflectance Factor (BRF) charts and data plots produced (forescatter, backscatter, and hot spot).

The full FLAIR Model, as opposed to this Web tool, acts on multiple bands in the forward mode, as well as in the inverse mode, where the user provides canopy BRF values for known view/sun geometries. The model then derives mean spectral and architecture properties of the vegetation.

FLAIR was jointly developed at the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, Natural Resources Canada and York University by H. Peter White, J. Chen and J. Miller.

Publications describing this model and its applications can be found in GEOSCAN - The ESS Publications Database.

For questions or comments, please contact H. Peter White