ISPRS Congress 2026 · Remote sensing · Generative AI

Teaching satellites to seewhat isn’t there yet.

We turn a small set of real hyperspectral observations into a much larger, more useful training world—giving spectral unmixing models a stronger foundation for mapping crop residue cover from low-cost satellite imagery.

Ege Artan · Shuo Chen · Andrew Peng · Sammuel Aldrich Karya · Kyaw Thiha
Landsat 9 satellite flying over the curve of Earth
Eyes in orbit

From Earth’s surface to orbital perspective, every spectral signal is part of a larger story.

Better agricultural intelligence starts with better spectra.

Crop residue is a quiet but consequential signal: it helps reveal soil health, erosion risk, and the climate impact of agricultural practices. The difficult part is that reliable hyperspectral labels are expensive to collect, while the satellite systems that could expand coverage operate under tight spectral and budget constraints.

Our project closes that gap with a decoupled generative pipeline. A DDIM generates plausible hyperspectral signatures, while a TCVAE models the structure that makes those signatures useful for downstream spectral unmixing. The result is synthetic training data designed to augment—not replace—the scarce real measurements that matter most.

By making every measured spectrum go further, this work points toward scalable, lower-cost monitoring of conservation practices from space—and a more data-efficient path for scientific machine learning.

Remote sensing that makes smarter, more resilient decisions possible from orbit.

Vivid yellow flowers and solar panels seen in a Landsat 9 image of California

The full story, at a glance.

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ISPRS 2026 project poster for synthesizing hyperspectral data using generative models

Take the project further.