Surface reflectance factor retrieval from thematic mapper data

Based on the absolute radiometric calibration of the Thematic Mapper (TM) and the use of a radiative transfer program for atmospheric correction, ground reflectances were retrieved for several fields of crops and bare soil in TM Bands 1-4 for six TM scenes acquired over a 12-month period. These reflectances were compared to those measured using ground-based and low-altitude, aircraft-mounted radiometers. When, for four TM acquisitions, the comparison was made between areas that had been carefully selected for their high uniformity, the reflectance factors agreed to ±0.01 (1 σ RMS) over the reflectance range 0.02-0.55. When the comparison was made for two of the above acquisitions and two others on different dates, for larger areas not carefully selected to be of uniform reflectance, the reflectance factors agreed to ±0.02 (1 σ RMS), again over the reflectance range 0.02-0.55.