Editorial Type:
Article
Article Type:
Research Article

An Automated Cirrus Cloud Detection Method for a Ground-Based Cloud Image

Jun Yang Institute of Atmospheric Sounding, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing, China

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Weitao Lu Institute of Atmospheric Sounding, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing, China

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Ying Ma Institute of Atmospheric Sounding, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing, China

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Wen Yao Institute of Atmospheric Sounding, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing, China

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Print Publication:
01 Apr 2012
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1175/JTECH-D-11-00002.1
Page(s):
527–537
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Abstract

Cloud detection is a basic research for achieving cloud-cover state and other cloud characteristics. Because of the influence of sunlight, the brightness of sky background on the ground-based cloud image is usually nonuniform, which increases the difficulty for cirrus cloud detection, and few detection methods perform well for thin cirrus clouds. This paper presents an effective background estimation method to eliminate the influence of variable illumination conditions and proposes a background subtraction adaptive threshold method (BSAT) to detect cirrus clouds in visible images for the small field of view and mixed clear–cloud scenes. The BSAT algorithm consists of red-to-blue band operation, background subtraction, adaptive threshold selection, and binarization. The experimental results show that the BSAT algorithm is robust for all types of cirrus clouds, and the quantitative evaluation results demonstrate that the BSAT algorithm outperforms the fixed threshold (FT) and adaptive threshold (AT) methods in cirrus cloud detection.

Corresponding author address: Jun Yang, Institute of Atmospheric Sounding, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, No. 46 Zhongguancun South Street, Beijing 100081, China. E-mail: yangjun@cams.cma.gov.cn

Abstract

Cloud detection is a basic research for achieving cloud-cover state and other cloud characteristics. Because of the influence of sunlight, the brightness of sky background on the ground-based cloud image is usually nonuniform, which increases the difficulty for cirrus cloud detection, and few detection methods perform well for thin cirrus clouds. This paper presents an effective background estimation method to eliminate the influence of variable illumination conditions and proposes a background subtraction adaptive threshold method (BSAT) to detect cirrus clouds in visible images for the small field of view and mixed clear–cloud scenes. The BSAT algorithm consists of red-to-blue band operation, background subtraction, adaptive threshold selection, and binarization. The experimental results show that the BSAT algorithm is robust for all types of cirrus clouds, and the quantitative evaluation results demonstrate that the BSAT algorithm outperforms the fixed threshold (FT) and adaptive threshold (AT) methods in cirrus cloud detection.

Corresponding author address: Jun Yang, Institute of Atmospheric Sounding, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, No. 46 Zhongguancun South Street, Beijing 100081, China. E-mail: yangjun@cams.cma.gov.cn
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