Fuel Spill Detection

Where are the fuel spills?
This is an image of an Air Force base. There is a known jet fuel spill marked DRMO in this scene and another location where contaminated soil has been left to evaporate, marked PILES on this Landsat TM scene. There are other sites of contamination at the base. Can you find them?

IMAGINE Subpixel Classifier did!

Includes material © Space Imaging L.P.

Objective
The Air Force was interested in knowing if there were other contaminated sites at the air base.

Approach
IMAGINE Subpixel Classifier was used to exploit the advantages of satellite multispectral imagery to accurately detect fuel spill locations.

Project Challenges
· Access to area was limited
· Historical records were not kept
· Budget was low and results were needed quickly
· Land cover classifiers were not accurate enough
· Ground survey and high resolution imagery were costly and slow

Solution
Hydrocarbon residues affect the spectral qualities of soil. Using a signature derived from the locations marked "DRMO" and "Piles", the IMAGINE Subpixel Classifier detected seven potential spill sites throughout this Landsat Thematic Mapper scene. On-site inspection confirmed fuel spills on the tarmac (#3), the runway (#6), and at the site of a marine repair facility (#7). Not all detected sites have been confirmed.

Includes material © Space Imaging L.P.

IMAGINE Subpixel Classifier has the discrimination capability to process Landsat and other satellite and airborne imagery and detect materials that have been affected spectrally as a result of environmental contamination.