The Application of Vector Quantization to Image Compression for Satellite Imaging Systems

Over the past few years it has become more and more common to use satellites for imaging applications. The imaging may be performed in the visual realm using cameras, or may infrared or electro-optical using multi-sensor arrays. One thing that all these imaging techniques have in common is the large amount of data that must be stored and/or transmitted per image. If many images are being gathered over a relatively short time, then storage and power requirements may become too large for small satellite systems.