A map of Mexico in 100,000 million pixels - generation of a national mosaic with RapidEye images

Abstract

The present paper presents a workflow for the generation of a 5m spatial resolution, completely seamless and cloud-free mosaic of Mexico. After a brief discussion of the challenges of imagery-based mosaicking in general terms, we will detail the methodology applied to complete this project. Main steps include the pre-selection of suitable imagery (from an archive of 50,000 RapidEye images, captured over Mexico, between 2011 and 2014), histogram and seamline optimization and image blending of 4,500 scenes to create a country-wide satellite map. Considered a distinctive feature of our workflow, emphasis is also placed on tasks at the post-processing level, including cloud elimination and exposure correction. Information on operational availability of the final mosaic is provided. Finally, the application spectrum of a 100,000 million pixel satellite mosaic of Mexico is discussed.