Automated Texture Synthesis from Multi-spectral Satellite Imagery

In the past, visual database development was a labor-intensive process. As newly available satellite imagery became available, databases would have to be rebuilt to incorporate updates. More recently, Diamond Visionics has developed technology to address this need, allowing for source data, including satellite imagery, to be easily integrated into visual simulation databases at runtime without requiring manual intervention. This technology, based on highly efficient spatial indexing methods, eliminates the need for extensive offline processing by leveraging the capabilities of multi-core CPU's and GPU's . However, because this technology utilizes the provided imagery data without alteration, the resulting database fidelity reflects the quality of the source imagery. We propose the development of an advanced system with the capability to seamlessly and dynamically integrate and enhance photo-textures derived from satellite imagery with fully synthesized terrain imagery and 3-D feature textures. The proposed system would effectively increase the fidelity of provided imagery without requiring manual intervention, as well as synthesize the expanded geographic coverage of the provided imagery. The proposed solution will allow complete run-time control over lighting, shading, modulation, and seasonal changes. The system will also control the integration of the satellite textures with the synthetic 3-D terrain and textures.