The EnMAP imaging spectroscopy mission is designed for a variety of application fields such as vegetation (natural ecosystems, agriculture and forestry), , geology and soils, coastal and inland waters, the cryosphere, urbans areas, the atmosphere and finally, hazards and risks. The rich spectral information contained in EnMAP data will improve the accuracy and robustness of parameter retrieval as well as facilitate the retrieval of new parameters not possible with multispectral data. More than 30 years of airborne hyperspectral research have proven the ability of imaging spectrometers to derive a large number of biochemical and geochemical parameters useful for addressing various environmental questions. However, most airborne studies are limited to small areas and single or low temporal resolution. The availability of hyperspectral data with 30 m spatial resolution will facilitate the assessment of parameters at a regional scale, connecting the current gap between in situ ground measurements and large-scale patterns. Overall, EnMAP will improve the accuracy of many applications from discrimination to identification and from qualitative to quantitative.
Key applications of EnMAP include:
- Mineral exploration and mine restoration
- Soil mineralogy
- Vegetation monitoring: plant condition, crop residues, vegetation composition
- Inland and coastal waters: phytoplankton composition, (harmful) algae species
- Urban surface materials
- Methane monitoring
- Hazardous materials: oil spills, mine waste, pollutants, plastics
- Natural hazards: landslides, volcanoes, floods and droughts