Super-resolution of thermal images using an automatic total variation based method

The relatively poor spatial resolution of thermal images is a limitation for many thermal remote sensing applications. A possible solution to mitigate this problem is super-resolution, which should preserve the radiometric content of the original data and should be applied to both the cases where a single image or multiple images of the target surface are available. In this perspective, we propose a new super-resolution algorithm, which can handle either single or multiple images. It is based on a total variation regularization approach and implements a fully automated choice of all the parameters, without any training dataset nor a priori information. Through simulations, the accuracy of the generated super-resolution images was assessed, in terms of both global statistical indicators and analysis of temperature errors at hot and cold spots. The algorithm was tested and applied to aerial and terrestrial thermal images. Results and comparisons with state-of-the-art methods confirmed an excellent compromise between the quality of the high-resolution images obtained and the required computational time.