Radiometric calibration of satellite imaging sensors should be performed periodically to account for the effect of sensor degradation in the space environment on image accuracy. In this study, we performed vicarious radiometric calibrations (relying on in situ data) of multispectral imaging sensors on the Korea multi-purpose satellite-3 and -3A (KOMPSAT-3 and -3A) to adjust the existing radiometric conversion coefficients according to time delay integration (TDI) adjustments and sensor degradation over time. The Second Simulation of a Satellite Signal in the Solar Spectrum (6S) radiative transfer model was used to obtain theoretical top of atmosphere radiances for both satellites. As input parameters for the 6S model, surface reflectance values of well-characterized pseudo-invariant tarps were measured using dual ASD FieldSpec^® 3 hyperspectral radiometers, and atmospheric conditions were measured using Microtops II^® Sunphotometer and Ozonometer. We updated the digital number (DN) of the radiance coefficients of the satellites; these had been used to calibrate the sensors during in-orbit test periods in 2013 and 2015. The coefficients of determination, R², values between observed DNs of the sensors, and simulated radiances for the tarps were more than 0.999. The calibration errors were approximately 5.7% based on manifested error sources. We expect that the updated coefficients will be an important reference for KOMPSAT-3 and -3A users.

We present a measurement uncertainty evaluation for emission color and luminance of displays. The calibration procedures and the measurement uncertainties of a CCD-based spectroradiometer and a filter-type luminance meter are discussed. As evaluation examples, a Commission Internationale de l’ Éclairage illuminant A, a liquid-crystal display with a light-emitting diode backlight, and a liquid-crystal display with a cold-cathode fluorescent lamp backlight are evaluated. The uncertainties in Commission Internationale de l’ Éclairage 1931 $(x,y)$ chromaticity coordinates are determined to be in a range from 0.0020 to 0.0050 ($k=2$). The uncertainties in luminance are obtained from 4.8% to 8.5% by using the spectroradiometer, while the filter-type luminance meter shows the uncertainties from 1.1% to 1.6% ($k=2$).

On-orbit radiometric characterization of the multispectral (MS) imagery of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI)’s Korea Multi-Purpose Satellite-3A (KOMPSAT-3A), which was launched on 25 March 2015, was conducted to provide quantitative radiometric information about KOMPSAT-3A. During the in-orbit test (IOT), vicarious radiometric calibration of KOMPSAT-3A was performed using the Second Simulation of a Satellite Signal in the Solar Spectrum (6S) radiative transfer model. The characteristics of radiometric tarps, the atmospheric optical depth from multi-filter rotating shadowband radiometer (MFRSR) measurements, and sun–sensor–geometry were carefully considered, in order to calculate the exact top of atmosphere (TOA) radiance received by KOMPSAT-3A MS bands. In addition, the bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) behaviors of the radiometric tarps were measured in the laboratory with a two-dimensional hyperspectral gonioradiometer, to compensate for the geometry discrepancy between the satellite and the ASD FieldSpec^® 3 spectroradiometer. The match-up datasets between the TOA radiance and the digital number (DN) from KOMPSAT-3A were used to determine DN-to-radiance conversion factors, based on linear least squares fitting for two field campaigns. The final results showed that the R² values between the observed and simulated radiances for the blue, green, red, and near-infrared (NIR) bands, are greater than 0.998. An approximate error budget analysis for the vicarious calibration of KOMPSAT-3A showed an error of less than 6.8%. When applying the laboratory-based BRDF correction to the case of higher viewing zenith angle geometry, the gain ratio was improved, particularly for the blue (1.3%) and green (1.2%) bands, which exhibit high sensitivity to the BRDF of radiometric tarps during the backward-scattering phase. The calculated gain ratio between the first and second campaigns showed a less than 5% discrepancy, indicating that the determined radiometric characteristics of KOMPSAT-3A are reliable and useful to the user group for quantitative applications.

A new instrument for absolute measurement of hyperspectral and angular reflection is presented. The instrument determines absolute values of angular reflection quantities in a wavelength range from 380 to 780 nm with a 3 nm spectral resolution by using a white source and a CCD-based spectroradiometer. Through uncertainty evaluation, the measurement uncertainty is determined as 1.4%–2.9% ($k=2$) for white diffuse material of Spectralon. The gonioreflectometric determination and an integrating-sphere-based reflection measurement traceable to KRISS spectral reflectance scale are compared by determining hemispherical reflectance, which results in agreement in their uncertainties.

We investigate the comparison method and the substitution method of integrating sphere-based relative methods for reflection measurements. Through an analytical description, we compare the two methods with a focus on the effects of a sphere: to determine reflectance without any correction on a sphere, the substitution method requires symmetry of a sphere in addition to the requirement of the comparison method, either uniformity of a sphere or equal reflectance distribution between a sample and a reference. We experimentally compare the two methods through reflection measurements of gray-scale diffuse samples with reflectance of 10%, 40%, and 99%, which results in agreement within their measurement uncertainties. Also, we observe a reflectance change depending on sample location on a sphere in the substitution type measurements, which is attributed to sphere’s lack of symmetry. The experimental results are analyzed in terms of measurement uncertainty and reflection properties including bidirectional reflectance distribution function.