In September 2000, GER in a team effort with SpectroTech, Inc. flew a survey of a number of reservoirs in Delaware County, New York as part of a proof-of-concept program with the Department of Environmental protection. Twenty eight bands of visible and near infrared data and one thermal band were recorded. The objective of the survey was to determine if algal blooms or weed growth in reservoirs could be detected from the air.

The true color image shows approximately what the reservoir looked like to the naked eye. We see in the upper right fork of the reservoir an indication of lighter colored water. By manipulating the color representations in the image, we are able to stretch or enhance the rgb to highlight subtle differences in the scene and show that, indeed there is an anomalous region in the right fork of the reservoir.

When we view the time-coincident thermal image, and stretch it to highlight small differences, we see that the anomalous region corresponds with water at a slightly lower temperature than the rest of the reservoir. This may indicate that algal bloom or weeds are present in this region, or that the area is favorable for the growth of algal blooms or weeds. Ground truth data is presently being collected to verify these findings.