OKSI manufactures and markets the HyperScan family and the 4-Dimensional Imaging Spectrometer, or 4DIS, line of sensors. These sensors are utilized at various universities, manufacturing, and agriculture and growers firms, as well as other government agencies including DoD, DoE, USDA, NIST. Producing higher efficiency, lower cost sensors will expand the market penetration of the products. These sensors are quite expensive and often are limited by low lighting level that produces low SNR. Similarly the sensitivity, or detection threshold, of the sensors may limit their use. The proposed manufacturing technology has the ability to improve all aspect of the sensors and therefore increase their applicability within the same markets as they are currently in use, as well as expanding the markets to newer applications. NASA has extensive interest in hyperspectral imaging for airborne (AVIRIS), spaceborne Earth observing (HyspIRI), Lunar (Moon Mineral Mapper) and planetary (Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars) sensors. Such sensors can take advantage of the performance improvements offered by more compact and high-performance components to be developed under the proposed investigation. In addition, the technology will support other Earth Science (Airborne, Biosphere, Atmosphere), Space Science (Astrophysics, Planetary), Exploration Technology and Nanotechnology missions.
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