There are two options for describing input images. Either: List the image file names Or: provide an ascii file with the file names listed, one per record. If RINP is used, INP contains the "left" set of images to mosaic.
Output image containing the mosaic. By default, the output will have the same number of bands as the input with the most bands, and all bands will be processed. Inputs with fewer than that many bands repeat their last band, so bw and color images can be mixed. If BAND is specified, the output will have a single band.
Specifies the (optional) output filename for the index file. The index file contains, for each pixel, a halfword integer (16 bit signed) identifying which image the pixel came from. 0 indicates no value (black in the mosaic). Numbers from 1-n match the order of files in the input list file (or INP parameter, if a list file isn't given). For most mosaics, the file could be converted to byte using CFORM (half is used to support more than 255 input files).
Specifies the (optional) output filename for the ICM file. The ICM file is an Image Coregistration Map. It is a two-band float file containing the line, sample coordinate of the input pixel used for the point. This is the same basic format as correlation maps such as MARSCOR3 produces, except that multiple images are involved (thus the need for the index file, in IDX_OUT).
Corrected navigation filename. If marsnav was run on the input images it created a table of corrected pointing parameters. If you refer to this table using NAVTABLE it will override the pointing parameters (e.g. azimuth and elevation) in the picture labels, giving you a better registered mosaic.
Similar to INP, but contains the "right" set of images to mosaic. This is optional; if not provided then the input should be in INP and consist of just one eye (either one). However, it is highly recommended to use the new RINP mode. See the main help.
The BSQ input file band number. Defaults to all bands in image, but will use a value of 1 if an invalid band is specified. Providing a value will cause only that band to be processed.
Specifies whether a Left or Right mosaic is to be produced. This is only relevant when RINP is provided. Both INP and RINP participate in setting the geometry; only INP is used for mosaicking with -LEFT, and only RINP is used for mosaicking with -RIGHT.
Specifies using pointed camera models rather than calibration ones. See the main help.
Specifies that the first image from RINP should be used to set the size of pixels in the output mosaic, rather than the first image from INP.
The range of inputs to actually mosaic. Normally all inputs are mosaicked. However, if this parameter is specified, all inputs will be used to calculate the output projection, but only the inputs in the specified range will be mosaicked. This allows the generation of a large mosaic to be spread out over several nodes on a network, with a program like FASTMOS used to combine all the outputs together. Note that any underlays (annotation that goes under the image) should be put on the *last* mosaic only for FASTMOS; overlays (that show on top of everything) should be on all images (or at least the first). The input numbers are 1-based. If only one number is specified, it is the starting number; the end defaults to the # of inputs.
The local mars surface normal vector coordinate system specified by SURF_COORD parameter (defaults to surface fixed). For most pan/tilt cameras, if the lander is not tilted this vector would be: normal=(0,0,-1). ie: x_component=0, y_component=0, z_component=-1. This need not be a unit vector. This vector is used to define the surface plane to which image points are projected in order to minimize parallax. For SPHERE1/2 surface models, normal's first parameter is used to denote sphere's radius. Thus to describe sphere of radius R, user would specify normal=(R, 0, 0).
Any point on the surface, in coordinate system specified by SURF_COORD parameter
(defaults to surface fixed). This defines where the tilted plane is in space.
Although any point may be used, normally the point just "under" the origin is
selected.
Defaults:
Mars Pathfinder: (0.0, 0.0, 0.0) (lander zero point is on the ground)
Mars 98 Lander: (0.0, 0.0, 1.64) (lander zero point is on top of deck)
MER : (0.0, 0.0, 0.294)
For MER images taken on top of the lander, the ground is roughly at (0, 0, 0.7)
For SPHERE1/2 surface models, GROUND parameter is used to denote sphere's
center.
The coordinate system in which surface parameters like GROUND and NORMAL are defined. For valid values refer to COORD parameter description. The interpretation of the values is dependent on the mission. Defaults to surface fixed coordinate system. Note that no validation is done for input strings because COORD is using the same values. So user needs to be extra careful in specifying SURF_COORD value. For example COORD=local would be correctly interpreted to mean LOCAL_LEVEL because of validation process. On the other hand specifying SURF_COORD=local would lead to underlying code treating the input value as invalid and reverting to default which is FIXED frame. So the values for SURF_COORD should be spelled exactly as found in the list of valid values for COORD parameter.
The type of mars surface to use. The surface is used to intercept view rays emanating from the cameras in order to model out parallax between the stereo cameras. The options are surface=INFINITY which means no surface is used, surface=PLANE (the default case). If surface = PLANE then the plane is defined by the NORMAL and GROUND parameters. For the cases when PLANE doesn't match local topography sufficiently well, here are two sphere surface models: surface=SPHERE1 and surface=SPHERE2. SPHERE1 is useful to model convex surfaces like hills, it returns closest(first) ray-surface intersection point. SPHERE2 is useful to model concave surfaces, like crater when the camera point is outside looking in, it returns farthest(second) ray-surface intersection point. For the case when camera is inside the sphere surface, like rover sitting in the crater, there is only a single intersection point and SPHERE1 and SPHERE2 behave exactly the same. Last, MESH is a surface model defined by a mesh file (.obj) which path is given with SURF_MESH.
Mesh OBJ file to use as the surface model. For the mesh to be used, SURFACE must be set to MESH. The coordinates of the mesh vertices can be expressed in any CS. However the mesh CS must be supplied via SURF_CSFILE. If SURF_CSFILE is not used, then the mesh is assumed to be to the CS that results from COORD or SURF_COORD VARI SURF_CSFILE File name of a vicar file whose CS (contained in the labels) will be read and assigned to the SURFACE model. The type of image and its content are of no interest, we are just reading the CS. That CS will supersede any other surface CS definition (COORD or SURF_COORD). Its typical use is to supply a CS to a given mesh file (expectedly the XYZ from which the mesh is computed from, but doesn't have to). But SURF_CSFILE could be use to define a CS in which NORMAL and GROUND for a PLANE surface are expressed in.
Specifies values to multiply DN values of each input picture. Defaults to 1.0 for each picture. For example, if there are five input images, then try BIAS=(1.0, 1.33, 0.8, 1.90, 1.0) BIAS is obsolete now; it has been replaced by BRTCORR.
Specifies an input file containing brightness corrections. This is an XML file that comes from a program like marsbrt which contains correction factors for each image. These factors may be additive or multiplicative constants to be applied to the image, or other corrections that may be implemented in the future. The BRTCORR mechanism is intended to replace BIAS. Using them together should be avoided because the labels will not reflect both (the BIAS overrides). If you do, however, the BRTCORR corrections are applied to the data first, before BIAS.
Additional border to add to output image height. The height calculation is approximate; this provides some padding. Note that half the specified border is added to each of the top and bottom.
Selects full panorama (FULL_FRAME) or output sized to input (PARTIAL_FRAME) in the azimuth (sample) direction. Normally (PARTIAL_FRAME), the output size is shrunk (in azimuth) to just fit the input images. If FULL_FRAME is specified, the output will be a full 360-degree panorama (whether or not there is data to go in the extra space).
Override for azimuth of left edge of output. Normally this is derived as the minimum azimuth in the inputs (adjusted for 360-0 wraparound). This value is specified using the coordinate frame in COORD (default is Fixed, or Site). This allows control over the mosaic framing in terms of north, i.e. start_az=0 puts North at the edge of the mosaic. START_AZ can also be specified in instrument (Rover) frame, which frames the mosaic relative to the spacecraft.
Overrides the elevation of the vertical center of projection (defaults to half the image height). The center of each column's output camera is defined by the column in the azimuth direction, and by this value in the elevation direction. Note that PROJ_EL applies before the untilt (ring_axis) rotation is done. This value is always specfied in instrument (Rover) coodinates.
Overrides the line number in the image that matches PROJ_EL. This has the
effect of shifting the entire mosaic up or down in the frame, without
changing the projection. This value is normally calculated such that the
minimum and maximum elevations are at the top and bottom of the image,
respectively.
The actual formula is:
tan(max_elev - PROJ_EL) / camera_pixel_angle + BORDER/2
where camera_pixel_angle is the number of radians per pixel in the vertical
direction for the first image's camera.
Note that PROJ_LINE applies before the untilt (ring_axis) rotation is done.
After this rotation, PROJ_LINE actually follows a sinusoidal path across the
mosaic.
Overrides size of the output image. If specified, the setting of FULL_FRM is ignored.
Sets the zoom factor for the output mosaic. The default 1.0 uses the size as determined from the inputs (see -MASTER_RIGHT). A value of 2.0 would create a mosaic 2x larger in each dimension, while 0.25 would create a mosaic 4x smaller in each dimension.
Minimum sample number (azimuth column) to be projected. Anything to the left of this column is unprojected and will be black in the output, regardless of the input images. This is intended to speed up the program when doing repetitive adjustments over a small area. (Overlap footprints and image numbers are written over the entire output, however).
Maximum sample number (azimuth column) to be projected. Anything to the right of this column is unprojected and will be black in the output, regardless of the input images. This is intended to speed up the program when doing repetitive adjustments over a small area. (Overlap footprints and image numbers are written over the entire output, however).
Limit to top elevation. If specified, the top elevation will not go over this value - but could be under this value if the data doesn't go that high.
Limit to bottom elevation. If specified, the bottom elevation will not go under this value - but could be over this value if the data doesn't go that low.
This parameter allows the baseline between the virtual output cameras to be adjusted. It is the same as the diameter of the ring (or 2x the radius) that is described by the output cameras as they move in azimuth. Adjusting this changes the separation between the eyes, which results in more (larger baseline) or less (smaller baseline) depth between the foreground and background. It can be used to compensate for the large baseline of the MER pancams (30cm), making it smaller and thus easier to view. Note that this is specified as a diameter for convenience. The image labels contain the ring radius, which is half this value. Baseline adjustment works well when the actual surface matches the surface model. Any deviation from the surface model can result in distortions due to parallax effects.
This parameter allows adjustment of the axis of the ring described by the output cameras. The effect is to "tilt" the mosaic in some direction. The value should be a unit vector, expressed in the Instrument (Rover) frame. This parameter should rarely be used directly; the UNTILT parameter sets it to an appropriate value.
This parameter allows adjustment of the center point of the ring described by the output cameras. This is also the pivot point for RING_AXIS rotation. The effect of changing this is unclear and it should rarely if ever be used.
This flag, if set, adjusts RING_AXIS to "level" or untilt the spacecraft, making the horizon level while retaining proper disparity. Untilting works well when the actual surface matches the surface model. Any deviation from the surface model can result in distortions due to parallax effects. .PARM DISP_PIX This parameter shifts the mosaic left or right by the specified number of pixels. It is used to control overall disparity (moving the entire mosaic in or out in depth) by changing the value between the left and right eyes. Internally, this just adjusts the value of START_AZ; this parameter is more convenient to use however as you don't need to know what START_AZ would otherwise be and do the math to adjust it. Also, since it is measured in pixels instead of degrees, it is easier to use for disparity adjustment.
WRAP_AZ is an optional argument used to define a specific wrapping location for a mosaic. It is only used for a complete 360 mosaic, if the mosaic is not full the wrap should occur where the data is missing. Can be defined in any coordiante system with WRAP_CS. Input in degrees.
Needed for supporting the functionality of WRAP_AZ in converting coordinate systems. The default value of 0 is sufficient for the vast majority of use cases.
Coordinate system of the WRAP_AZ input. This is helpful if you would like to define a wrapping location in a coordinate system different than your other mosaic parameters. An example of this functionality would be wrapping in the rover frame at WRAP_AZ=180 (back of the rover) to move the rover hardware to the edges of the mosaic.
Causes the program to place an ASCII number into the mosaic at the center of where each input picture falls. Numbers begin at 1 and increase in the order of the filenames in the input. This permits one to determine which picture populated which part of the mosaic. Defaults to NONUMBER. The DN to use for the numbers is set by NUMBER_DN, and the zoom factor for the numbers by NUMBER_ZOOM.
The DN to use for the image numbers. See NUMBER keyword. Note, a NUMBER_DN of 0 is transparent (i.e. ignored).
The zoom factor to use for the image numbers (i.e. how big the numbers are). Must be a positive integer, 1 is the smallest possible. See NUMBER keyword.
Specifies the starting point for the image numbers (i.e. the first input is assigned this number for the image number overlays, and they increment from there). Normally this will be 1, but could be set differently if only part of a larger mosaic is being generated.
Causes "footprints" to be drawn around each input image in the output
mosaic. This is useful to show overlap of the images, and is often used
in conjunction with NUMBER.
There are three values:
NOFOOTPRINT - No footprint is displayed. This is the default.
FOOTPRINT - Shows the footprint only where the edge of the image is "on top".
Useful to see which image is laid down first. If the DN (FOOT_DN) has
insufficient contrast, the footprint may not be very visible, since it
is interpolated like normal pixels.
OVERLAP - shows the entire footprints of all images, even if another image
overlaps the edge of the input. Useful to see how much overlap there is
between images. OVERLAP mode will slow down the program down somewhat,
since the borders are drawn in after the mosaic is created (to ensure that
all borders are drawn).
The DN to use for the footprints is set by FOOT_DN. Note that the footprint
replaces (hides) the outer row of pixels in the image.
The DN to use for the footprints. See FOOTPRT keyword. FOOT_DN is an array, allowing color footprints to be created. Each element in FOOT_DN is used in sequence for the corresponding band. If not enough elements are present in FOOT_DN, the last value is repeated. A value of 0 is treated as transparent, i.e. that band is not touched by the footprint. So for a color mosaic with range 0-4095, FOOT_DN=4095 will plot footprints in white, FOOT_DN=\(1,4095,4095\) will plot them in cyan, and FOOT_DN=\(0,4095,4095\) will plot them in something between cyan and white, dependeing on the image content of the first band. Note that FOOT_DN is a floating point number, so FOOT_DN=\(0.1,4095,4095\) on an integer image will put a true 0 out for the red band without triggering the transparency check.
Tau is a measure of atmospheric opacity. The default for normal Mars conditions is 0.6. Higher tau means more dust in the atmosphere.
Keyword paramter that selects radiometric correction mode of the input images. RAD (the default) enables the correction (for missions/instruments which support it); NORAD disables it; ZENITH_SCALED_RAD the radiometry you'd get if the sun were at zenith on a clear day. The scaling factor is a combination of solar elevation and tau, and will have the effect of brightening up images that were taken near sunset.
DN scaling factor. This factor is used to convert between physical radiometric units (watts/(meter**2, steradian, micron)) and DN's for the output mosaic. The formula is: true_radiance = offset + (factor * DN) where "offset" is 0.0 in the current implementation, and "factor" is 1.0 / DNSCALE (making the formula equivalently: offset + (DN / DNSCALE)). The offset and factor (1.0/DNSCALE) are written to the output mosaic label.
A colon-separated list of directories in which to look for configuration and calibration files. Environment variables are allowed in the list (and may themselves contain colon-separated lists). The directories are searched in order for each config/cal file when it is loaded. This allows multiple projectes to be supported simultaneously, and allows the user to override any given config/cal file. Note that the directory structure below the directories specified in this path must match what the project expects. For example, Mars 98 expects flat fields to be in a subdirectory named "flat_fields" while Mars Pathfinder expects them to be directly in the directory specified by the path (i.e. no intermediate subdirectories).
Three-state keyword parameter to control whether or not to apply scaling parameters to reconstruct floating point values. RESCALE says to do the conversion, and reconstitute the float based on the RADIANCE_* keywords. Note that if there are no RADIANCE_* keywords, this is a no-op, so it doesn't hurt to turn this on for non-scaled images. NOSCALE says to not to the conversion. This is what we do now. If your inputs are dynamically scaled, you'll probably get surprising results. AUTOSCALE says to figure it out based on the DNSCALE_OUT parameter (see DNSCALE_OUT for details) and -ZENITH_SCALED_RAD flag. If DNSCALE_OUT is STATIC, then it is NOSCALE; if DNSCALE_OUT is DYNAMIC/IDENTIT or RAD=ZENITH_SCALED_RAD, then it is RESCALE.
Three-state keywork parameter to scale output DN values. If -STATIC is enabled, then the value specified by DNSCALE will be used as the DN scaling factor (note the unit scaling factor as well) for all radiometric models supplied. If -DYNAMIC is enabled, then the maximum responsivity value across all radiometric models will be used as the DN scaling factor (note the unit scaling factor as well). If -IDENTITY is enabled, then no scaling will be applied.
Specifies a method for pointing corrections. Loose method matches with pointing parameters of the image. Tight method matches with unique id of the image.
Tolerance value for matching pointing parameters in the pointing corrections file. Used if MATCH_METHOD=LOOSE Default value is pretty arbitrary, though seems to work well so far....
Specifies a mission-specific pointing method to use. Normally this parameter is not used, in which case the "default" pointing methods are used. Some missions may have special, or alternate, pointing methods available, which are indicated by this string (for example, backlash models, using arm joint angles instead of x/y/z/az/el, etc). A substring search is used, so multiple methods (where that makes sense) can be specified by separating the keywords with commas. Note that nav files created using one pointing method will most likely not be compatible with a mosaic created using a different pointing method. The methods available vary per mission, but some methods available at the time of this writing are: BACKLASH : Mars 98 SSI only. Selects a backlash pointing model, which adjusts the telemetered azimuth and elevation values based on knowledge of the camera's mechanical backlash and the direction the motor was travelling when the image was taken.
Disables all label-derived parameters to the Site mechanism which underlies coordinate systems. This forces all sites to be identical, with all rotations and offsets set the same. In the case of MPF or Mars 98, this disables the lander quaternion and offset (sets them to identity and 0, respectively). This option should not be used with images taken from different vantage points (e.g. the spacecraft moved, or mixing a lander and a rover) or invalid results will be obtained. The use of this option invalidates the Fixed coordinate frame; any values reported in the Fixed frame will not correctly reflect the orientation of the lander/rover. Obviously, this option should be rarely used; it is intended for when the image labels defining the site are invalid or inconsistent.
Overrides the default limits (89.4, 30) on size of the FOV for the input image. The FOV really affects how far away from the pointing vector we can be before we say nope, this image doesn't apply. The actual FOV is calculated, but these limits exist as sanity checks. Note that the limit is input in degrees, with the larger value first. If either limit is specified, both must be.
Keyword parameter that turns on or off interpolation of the output images pixel values. INTERP (the default) enables the interpolation, while NOINTERP disables it.
The DATA_SET_NAME typically identifies the instrument that acquired the data, the target of that instrument, and the processing level of the data. This value is copied to the output label, property IDENTIFICATION, keyword DATA_SET_NAME.
The DATA_SET_ID value for a given data set or product is constructed according to flight project naming conventions. In most cases the DATA_SET_ID is an abbreviation of the DATA_SET_NAME. This value is copied to the output label, property IDENTIFICATION, keyword DATA_SET_ID.
When a data set is released incrementally, such as every three months during a mission, the RELEASE_ID is updated each time part of the data set is released. For each mission (or host id if multiple spacecraft), the first release of a data set should have a value of "0001". This value is copied to the output label, property IDENTIFICATION, keyword RELEASE_ID.
Specifies a permanent, unique identifier assigned to a data product by its producer. Most commonly, it is the filename minus the extension. This value is copied to the output label, property IDENTIFICATION, keyword PRODUCT_ID.
Specifies the unique identifier of an entity associated with the production of a data set. This value is copied to the output label, property IDENTIFICATION, keyword PRODUCER_ID.
Specifies the identity of a university, research center, NASA center or other institution associated with the production of a data set. This value is copied to the output label, property IDENTIFICATION, keyword PRODUCER_INSTITUTION_NAME.
Specifies a target. The target may be a planet, satelite, ring, region, feature, asteroid or comet. This value is copied to the output label, property IDENTIFICATION, keyword TARGET_NAME.
Specifies the type of a named target. This value is copied to the output label, property IDENTIFICATION, keyword TARGET_NAME.
Rover State File. This is a list of filenames to load containing Rover State information. These files contain position and orientation information for a rover (or other mobile spacecraft) at various sites. They are in XML format. See the "Rover Motion Counter (RMC) Master File SIS" for details on these files. Rover State Files have a priority order. The files listed first have the highest priority. Environment variables may be used in the list. For MER, if a directory is specified, then that directory is searched for RMC Master files and any found are loaded. The directory structure and filename convention is covered in the RMC SIS. The directory specified is the one containing "master", so if <dir> is the name specified in the RSF parameter, the following files will be searched for: <dir>/master/_Master.svf <dir>/master/ _Site_ _Master.rvf The name of each file loaded is printed to the stdout log for reference.
If enabled, this causes the internal database of RMC locations to be printed out to the stdout log. This is after the RSF files have been loaded and the coordinate systems read from the input label(s).
The coordinate system to use for START_AZ only.
The interpretation of the values is dependent on the mission. Some
representative missions are listed here:
Fixed - The Fixed frame (default). This is the ultimate reference frame
(see also FIXED_SITE for rover missions).
Instrument - The "natural" frame for the instrument (of the first input
image). MPF: Lander or Rover; M98: MVACS; MER: Rover.
Site - A major Site frame. For rover missions, COORD_INDEX specifies which
Site frame to use. Non-rover missions treat this as Fixed.
Rover - An instance of the Rover frame. For rover missions, COORD_INDEX
specifies which instance of the rover frame to use. Non-rover mission
use the spacecraft frame (e.g. Lander for M98).
Local_Level - An instance of a Local Level frame. This is typically
coincident with the Rover frame (in XYZ) but oriented toward North
like the Site and Fixed frames. For MER, this is an instance of a
Drive index move.
The index specifies which instance of a coordinate system to use. It is currently applicable only to rover-based missions, but could have other uses. The index is equivalent to the Rover Motion Counter (RMC) for MER and FIDO. For MER/FIDO, there are many Site frames. Each is numbered with a single index. For Site Frames, coord_index specifies which to use. Likewise, there are many Local_Level and Rover frames, corresponding to values of the RMC. The multiple instances of this frame are selected by COORD_INDEX. Generally COORD_INDEX defaults sensibly so you don't usually need to specify it. It will default to the instance used by the first input.
Specifies which major Site is the "Fixed" Site for this run.
Historically, MPF and M98 had a single "Surface Fixed" frame which never
moved, and which all other coordinate system frames were referenced to.
With the advent of long-range rovers (such as MER and FIDO), that became
insufficient. The rover traverses far enough that errors in knowledge of
coordinate system offset and orientation become unacceptable.
For this reason, a system of major Sites was introduced. Periodically
during the mission, a Site frame is declared. This then becomes the
reference frame for all activities until the next Site is declared.
References are kept local, and errors don't propogate across Sites.
However, if images from more than one Site are combined together, the
Site's must be placed relative to each other. Therefore a single reference
frame is still needed to combine different sites.
The FIXED_SITE parameter controls which of the major Site frames is
the reference ("fixed") site for this program run. This fixed frame
can vary in different program runs, but is constant throughout one
execution.
If not specified, FIXED_SITE defaults to the minimum Site number (i.e.
lowest numbered, or earliest chronologically) used in all input images.
Normally this default is sufficient; rarely must FIXED_SITE be specified.
One or more Rover State Files must usually be specified in order to combine
image from more than one Site. These describe the relationship between
sites. See the RSF parameter.
Specifies which solution ID to use for pointng corrections. There are potentially many different definitions for the same coordinate system. These are identified via a unique Solution ID. If this parameter is given, only the specified solution's definition is searched for.