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Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM)

Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM) is an algorithm that determines the spectral similarity between a pixel and a known mineral reference spectrum by calculating the angle between them. The smaller the angle, the closer the match.

In TerraEye, SAM layers are calculated from multispectral and hyperspectral satellite data. Values closer to 1 indicate a better match to the reference mineral spectrum.


How to Use the Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM) Layer?

  1. Go to the Data tab, expand Mineral Prospecting - SAM, and click Add layer next to the mineral you want to analyze.
  2. Use the sliders to adjust the value range. Values closer to 1 indicate a better match to the reference mineral spectrum.
  3. Customize the layer appearance by changing its color or switching to gradient mode in the layer properties.