USING THE DATA FUSION TECHNIQUE FOR PRODUCING THEMATIC MAP

The University of Salerno (Italy) has recently been equipped with a pair of aerials that are able to r eceive data transmitted from various satellite platforms such as the NOAA and the Terra- 1 and Aqua-1 EOS. These satellites are fitted with sensors that pick up information regarding soil and cloud temperature, the humidity level of the atmosphere, the presence of extraneous water, the presence of certain substances such as chlorophyll, the surface colour of the ocean and the presence of plankton with a sp atial resolution that at its greatest reaches 250 m. Great use is therefore made of a vas t amount of data that concerns our geographical are a which allows for a fairly approximate assessment of the state of health (dese rtification, deforestation, abundance of surface wa ter) and the potential risks (landslides, fires, plant and crop infections or di seases) to which the territory is prone. Neverthele ss, the data is supplied with differing precision to the ground and with different pixel di mensions, therefore it is not possible to generate, taking as a starting point the data alone, (thematic map) which, besides furnishing qua litative information, also supplies correct and pre cise metric information. By using the Data Fusion technique it is possible to project the data supplied by various sensors onto a higher resolution image in order to obtain a representation that allows for a synthesis of all available information.