ABSTRACT
Automated Approach of Cataloguing TeraScan Images utilizing Exchangeable Image File Format (EXIF) Data

The Center of Excellence in Remote Sensing Education and Research (CERSER) on the campus of Elizabeth City State University is currently tasked with the responsibility of receiving remotely sensed Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) and Sea Wide Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS) data for research projects year round. This data is collected, processed, annotated, and transformed into images in the Tagged Image File Format (tiff). These tiff images are then uploaded to the CERSER archive library server located at http://cerser.ecsu.edu. Once uploaded, they are converted into various resolutions and their information is added to a tracking database maintained with Microsoft Access software. This database provides a searchable means for retrieving satellite image data through various parameters.

The conversion of the tiff file to its various resolutions and the entry of data into the tracking database are currently done manually by the CERSER webmaster. The amount of time to enter one image into the system is approximately ten minutes. The process is also limited by the requirement that the webmaster be located at one computer terminal located on the campus to perform these tasks.

The goal of the 2005 ONR Multimedia Team (MMT) is to automate this process utilizing data captured from the tiff files Exchangeable Image File Format (EXIF) data. This data contains the capture time and date along with file resolution and file size. Utilizing this information will allow various scripts to be written eliminating the necessity for the manual conversions and data input to be made resulting in a more up to date and accurate archiving system of the images. Various methods and languages will be utilized including Java, JavaScript, and Adobe Photoshop Action Scripts to complete this process.