Radiometric correction for linear change‐detection techniques: analysis in bi‐temporal space

Radiometric corrections can remove or reduce inconsistencies induced by temporal factors in multi‐temporal images, but their effectiveness for change detection is still unclear. This study applied a physics‐based model to pseudo‐invariant features (PIFs) and showed that absolute correction is in principle equivalent to relative correction in change‐detection studies if the spatial heterogeneity of the atmosphere is not rigorously considered. Bi‐temporal space analysis revealed that the performance of a linear change‐detection algorithm depends on whether the determined slope of the no‐change zone coincides with that of the PIF line, offering insight into the effectiveness of radiometric correction. A case examination showed that either absolute or relative correction adjusted the paired image bands to a common standard. However, the corrections did not necessarily reduce the bias in the zone slope determined by the change‐detection algorithm, illustrating the futility of performing either absolute or relative corrections for linear change‐detection techniques, except for image differencing.