Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Date

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Electrical & Computer Engineering

Committee Chair

Eddie Jacobs

Committee Member

Aaron Robinson

Committee Member

Daniel Foti

Committee Member

Lan Wang

Committee Member

Ronald Driggers

Abstract

Hyperspectral cameras capture hundreds of data points per sample (pixel), thereby providing numerous advantages in remote sensing tasks. Many tasks can be effectively conducted with such a camera mounted on a small uncrewed aerial system (sUAS). However, obtaining results traditionally requires significant post-processing of captured data after flight, delaying insight. To mitigate the delay, this work proposes Spacecube, a program that implements a complete interactive hyperspectral processing pipeline. Spacecube's novel inverse georectification algorithm processes entire datasets in seconds, compared to hours for traditional methods, and eliminates pixel coverage artifacts. This allows immediate high-quality viewing and adjustment of captured flight data. To move beyond post-processing completely, Spacecube Capture is described and integrated. Using an on-UAS computer, it captures hyperspectral data, performs real-time task-specific analysis, and transmits results to Spacecube on the ground. The complete system uniquely enables insight to begin from UAS takeoff so on-the-ground investigation and response can proceed through the flight. Finally, the system is applied to the analysis task of hyperspectral anomaly detection. For the first time in the literature, complete end-to-end operation is demonstrated and characterized, from data capture and preparation, through anomaly detection algorithm execution and transmission, to ground station display and interaction. The system is shown to operate in real-time with bounded latency, and produce visually and quantitatively useful detection results. The source code is released publicly for the community to test and expand. The inverse georectification algorithm, along with end-to-end tests of a real-time on-UAS hyperspectral processing system, represent significant and original contributions to the literature.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.”

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to ProQuest/Clarivate.

Notes

Open Access

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