An overview of background modeling for detection of targets and anomalies in hyperspectral remotely sensed imagery

This paper reviews well-known classic algorithms and more recent experimental approaches for distinguishing the weak signal of a target (either known or anomalous) from the cluttered background of a hyperspectral image. Making this distinction requires characterization of the targets and characterization of the backgrounds, and our emphasis in this review is on the backgrounds. We describe a variety of background modeling strategies-Gaussian and non-Gaussian, global and local, generative and discriminative, parametric and nonparametric, spectral and spatio-spectral-in the context of how they relate to the target and anomaly detection problems. We discuss the major issues addressed by these algorithms, and some of the tradeoffs made in choosing an effective algorithm for a given detection application. We identify connections among these algorithms and point out directions where innovative modeling strategies may be developed into detection algorithms that are more sensitive and reliable. © 2012 IEEE.