Estimating the depth of buried hot features from thermal IR remote sensing data: a conceptual approach

Estimating the depth of buried thermal features from remotely sensed data is a difficult problem. The theoretical basis discussed in this letter shows that if the time of initiation of the heat source is known, then utilizing two sets of thermal Infrared ( IR) data of different time instances for the same anomaly area, the depth of the buried heat source can be computed. However, if the thermal IR data are collected at time intervals close to the time of initiation of heat source, the knowledge of initial conditions of heat source is obviated. In this latter case, a double ratioing technique, utilizing three sets of thermal IR remote sensing data, acquired at different times for the same area, can be used for estimating the depth of buried heat source. Respective sample sets of characteristic curves designed for depth estimation are presented along with results of sensitivity analysis tests, performed on simulated data.