Title: Multiband Uncooled Radiometer Instrument (MURI)
Presenting Author: Phillip Ely
Organization: DRS
Co-Author(s):

Abstract:
The objective of the DRS proposed MURI IIP program is to demonstrate that modern, low cost, large area micro-bolometer FPAs can be utilized to provide narrow band, radiometrically accurate, imaging in 6 LWIR bands for Earth Science applications from airborne and space-borne platforms. The potential earth science applications for this technology are Land Surface Climatology, measurement of soil moisture content, measurement of Ecosystem Dynamics, Volcano Monitoring, Methane Detection, Hazard monitoring, Geology and Soils.

On the IIP Program, DRS has designed, built, is in process of performing laboratory testing and will perform airborne flight testing in the summer of 2019 to demonstrate an uncooled micro-bolometer breadboard sensor for earth observation.  DRS will collect airborne radiometric data for the various science applications in 6 LWIR spectral bands. Our Science partner, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), will support the airborne data collects. Flight tests are planned for the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California, over the Salton Sea, over Lake Tahoe and crops and vineyards in Northern California. Radiometric data analysis will be completed and a comparison will be made to buoy temperature data and LANDSAT 8 data for a “truth reference”. At the completion of the program, if all flight and lab testing are successful, the MURI sensor is expected to have a TRL level of 6.