Comparison of polarimetric cameras

Abstract

This thesis is an analysis and comparison of two polarimetric imaging cameras. Previous thesis work utilizing the Salsa Bossa Nova polarimetric camera provided modestly successful results in the application of the camera in determining operational uses of polarization in the field of remote sensing. The goal of this thesis is to compare polarimetric data between two cameras designs and analyze the capabilities of a newly obtained polarimetric camera from Fluxdata. The Fluxdata and Salsa cameras utilize two different techniques to capture polarized light. The Salsa uses a Division of Time Polarimeter (DoTP), which is sensitive to movement, and the Fluxdata camera uses a Division of Amplitude Polarimeter (DoAmP), which is designed to split the incoming light without errors from scene movement. The assumption is that the new Fluxdata camera will be able to capture higher-quality polarization data that can be used in classifying objects in moving scenes. The results of the study confirmed both cameras' display correct polarization signatures and the movement of objects is not affected by the Fluxdata. The Fluxdata displays more detailed polarization signatures, but still suffers from registration errors that are inherent to the focal plane alignment of the DoAmP design.