Photographing support device, photographing support method, and photographing support program

Abstract

To provide a photographing support device, a photographing support method, and a photographing support program that reduce an influence on an analysis result due to differences in photographing environment among a plurality of satellite images.SOLUTION: In a remote sensing system 1, a photographing support device 100 includes: a first information acquisition unit 110 that obtains first information indicating a first timing at which a satellite image of a target area is captured; a prediction result acquisition unit 120 that obtains a prediction result obtained by predicting a photographing environment in the target area in time series; a calculation unit 130 that calculates, in time series, similarity of photographing environments with the first timing, based on the prediction result; a determination unit 140 that determines a second timing at which a satellite image of the target area is to be captured, based on the similarity; and a second information output unit 150 that outputs second information indicating the second timing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a photography support device, a photography support method, and a photography support program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 states that "satellite images that are covered by clouds at a certain rate or more are useless, so the number of points that can be retrieved from those areas is adjusted so that they are almost zero." [Prior art document] [Patent documents] [Patent Document 1] JP2020-173604 [Patent Document 2] JP2015-028759A [Patent Document 3] JP2021-006017 Summary of the Invention

[0003] In a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a photography support device, comprising: a first information acquisition unit that acquires first information indicating a first timing at which a satellite image of a target area is captured, a prediction result acquisition unit that acquires a prediction result obtained by predicting a photography environment in the target area in time series, a calculation unit that calculates a similarity of the photography environment between the first timing and the target area in time series based on the prediction result, a determination unit that determines a second timing at which a satellite image of the target area should be captured based on the similarity, and a second information output unit that outputs second information indicating the second timing.

[0004] In the photography support device, the photography environment may include at least an index indicating a moisture content of soil in the target area.

[0005] Any of the photographing support devices may further include a meteorological data acquisition unit that acquires meteorological data, and a prediction unit that predicts the index based on the meteorological data.

[0006] In any one of the photographing support devices, the prediction unit may predict the index by using a tank model.

[0007] In any of the shooting support devices, the determination unit may determine the second timing from among candidate timings in which a difference in the index between the first timing and the second timing satisfies a predetermined criterion.

[0008] In any one of the photographing support devices, the second information output section may output a photographing request command requesting that the target area be photographed at the second timing.

[0009] Any of the photography support devices may further include a first image acquisition unit that acquires first satellite image data photographed of the target area at the first timing, and a second image acquisition unit that acquires second satellite image data photographed of the target area at the second timing.

[0010] Any of the photographing support devices may further include an image analysis unit that analyzes the first satellite image data and the second satellite image data.

[0011] In any of the photographing support devices, the image analysis section may detect a change in vegetation in the target area based on a difference between the first satellite image data and the second satellite image data.

[0012] Any of the photographing support devices may further include an analysis result output unit that generates an alert when the change in the vegetation exceeds a predetermined standard.

[0013] In a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a photography support method, which is executed by a computer and includes the steps of: acquiring first information indicating a first timing at which a satellite image of a target area is captured; acquiring a prediction result of predicting a photography environment in the target area in time series; calculating a similarity of the photography environment between the first timing and the target area in time series based on the prediction result; determining a second timing at which a satellite image of the target area should be captured based on the similarity; and outputting second information indicating the second timing.

[0014] In a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a photography support program, which is executed by a computer and causes the computer to function as a first information acquisition unit that acquires first information indicating a first timing at which a satellite image of a target area was captured, a prediction result acquisition unit that acquires a prediction result obtained by predicting a photography environment in the target area in time series, a calculation unit that calculates a similarity of the photography environment between the first timing and the target area in time series based on the prediction result, a determination unit that determines a second timing at which a satellite image of the target area should be captured based on the similarity, and a second information output unit that outputs second information indicating the second timing.

[0015] The above summary of the invention does not list all of the features of the present invention. Also, subcombinations of these features may also be inventions. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows an example of a block diagram of a photography system 1 that may include a photography support device 100 according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 2] Examples of the spectral reflectance characteristics of water, soil, and plants are shown below. [Diagram 3] 1 shows an example of the flow of a photography support method that may be executed by the photography support device 100 according to this embodiment. [Figure 4]FIG. 1 shows an example of a block diagram of a photographing system 1 that may include a photographing support device 100 according to a modified example of this embodiment. [Diagram 5] An example of a tank model is shown below. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 shows an example of a block diagram of a photographing system 1 that may include a photographing support device 100 according to another modified example of this embodiment. [Figure 7] An example of a computer 9900 in which aspects of the present invention may be embodied, in whole or in part, is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] The present invention will be described below through embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention according to the claims. Furthermore, not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

[0018] FIG. 1 shows an example of a block diagram of a remote sensing system 1 that may include an imaging support device 100 according to this embodiment. Note that these blocks are functionally separated functional blocks and may not necessarily match the actual device configuration. That is, even if one block is shown in this diagram, it does not necessarily have to be configured by one device. Also, even if separate blocks are shown in this diagram, they do not necessarily have to be configured by separate devices. The same applies to the subsequent block diagrams.

[0019] In remote sensing, attempts are being made to capture changes on the earth's surface by analyzing multiple satellite images taken at different times. However, when satellite images are taken, the shooting environment changes from moment to moment. Therefore, differences in the shooting environment between multiple satellite images may affect the analysis results. The photography support device 100 according to this embodiment supports the shooting of satellite images so as to reduce such effects, for example. The remote sensing system 1 includes a satellite 10, a ground station 20, a processing station 30, a database 40, and the photography support device 100.

[0020] The satellite 10 is an artificial satellite that observes the earth using radio waves, infrared rays, and visible light, and is also called an earth observation satellite or a remote sensing satellite. The satellite 10 can communicate with a ground station 20, and for example, receives a command from the ground station 20 to instruct the satellite to capture an image of the satellite, and transmits data of the satellite image captured in response to the command to the ground station 20.

[0021] The ground station 20 is a facility provided on the ground for communicating with the satellite 10, and is also called a satellite communication facility. The ground station 20 is capable of communicating with the satellite 10, and for example, when a request is made to capture a satellite image, the ground station 20 transmits a command to the satellite 10 instructing it to capture the satellite image, and receives data of the satellite image captured in response to the command from the satellite 10.

[0022] In addition, various modulation / demodulation and power amplification may be performed in the communication between the satellite 10 and the ground station 20. In addition, the satellite 10 and the ground station 20 may be able to communicate directly without going through another device, or may be able to communicate indirectly via another device (not shown) (e.g., a communication satellite). The ground station 20 supplies the received satellite image data to the processing station 30.

[0023] The processing station 30 performs various processes on the satellite image data. For example, the processing station 30 may cut out the satellite image data supplied from the ground station 20 to a predetermined size. The processing station 30 may also correct (radiometric correction) the satellite image data for distortion of radiation caused by the sensitivity of the sensor mounted on the satellite 10, the position and angle of the sun, and atmospheric conditions. The processing station 30 may also correct (geometric correction) the satellite image data for effects caused by the rotation and curvature of the earth, and changes in the attitude of the satellite 10. The processing station 30 stores the corrected satellite image data in the database 40 together with metadata such as the date and time of capture and information on the correction.

[0024] Satellite image data is stored in the database 40. For example, the database 40 may store satellite image data and metadata supplied from the processing station 30 in association with each other. Users can obtain or purchase such data stored in the database 40 through, for example, a satellite operating organization or an agency.

[0025] The photographing support device 100 may be a computer such as a PC (personal computer), a tablet computer, a smartphone, a workstation, a server computer, or a general-purpose computer, or may be a computer system to which multiple computers are connected. Such a computer system is also a computer in a broad sense. The photographing support device 100 may be implemented by a virtual computer environment in which one or more programs can be executed within a computer. Alternatively, the photographing support device 100 may be a dedicated computer designed for photographing support, or may be dedicated hardware realized by a dedicated circuit. In addition, when the photographing support device 100 is connectable to the Internet, the photographing support device 100 may be realized by cloud computing.

[0026] The photographing support device 100 determines the timing for capturing a satellite image based on the predicted result of the photographing environment, and outputs the determined timing. In this way, the photographing support device 100 supports the capturing of a satellite image. The photographing support device 100 includes a first information acquisition unit 110, a predicted result acquisition unit 120, a calculation unit 130, a determination unit 140, and a second information output unit 150.

[0027] The first information acquisition unit 110 acquires first information indicating a first timing at which a satellite image of a target area was captured. Here, the target area is an area of ​​interest (AOI) that a user desires to remotely sense. Assume that the satellite 10 captures a satellite image of such a target area at an arbitrary time (referred to as a "first timing"). In such a case, the first information acquisition unit 110 may acquire information indicating the first timing as the first information. Note that, at the time when the first information acquisition unit 110 acquires the first information, it is not necessary that the capturing is completed. In other words, at the time when the first information acquisition unit 110 acquires the first information, it is sufficient that the capturing of the target area is determined at the first timing (for example, it is sufficient that a request has been made to the ground station 20), and it may be interpreted that it does not matter whether the satellite 10 has actually completed capturing the target area. The first information acquisition unit 110 supplies the acquired first information to the prediction result acquisition unit 120.

[0028] The prediction result acquisition unit 120 acquires a prediction result obtained by predicting the shooting environment in the target area in a time series. For example, the prediction result acquisition unit 120 may acquire a prediction result obtained by predicting the shooting environment in the target area in a time series, starting from a first timing indicated by the first information acquired by the first information acquisition unit 110. Such a shooting environment may include at least an index indicating the moisture content of the soil in the target area. This will be described in detail later. Note that the "time series" refers to a series at a plurality of different time points (at least two time points), and may be interpreted as including not only a case where the interval between the time points is constant, but also a case where the interval is not constant (so-called a point process). The prediction result acquisition unit 120 supplies the acquired prediction result to the calculation unit 130.

[0029] The calculation unit 130 calculates the similarity of the shooting environment between the first timing and the current timing in time series based on the prediction result. For example, the calculation unit 130 may calculate the similarity of the shooting environment between the first timing and the current timing indicated by the first information acquired by the first information acquisition unit 110 in time series based on the prediction result acquired by the prediction result acquisition unit 120. The calculation unit 130 supplies the calculated similarity to the determination unit 140.

[0030] The determination unit 140 determines a second timing at which a satellite image of the target area should be captured based on the similarity. For example, the determination unit 140 may determine a second timing at which a satellite image of the target area should be captured based on the similarity calculated by the calculation unit 130. The determination unit 140 notifies the second information output unit 150 of the determined second timing.

[0031] The second information output section 150 outputs the second information indicating the second timing. For example, the second information output section 150 may output the second information indicating the second timing determined by the determination section 140.

[0032] The operation of such a photographing support device 100 will be described in detail. From here on, a case where the photographing support device 100 is applied to visible and reflected infrared remote sensing, which is one type of remote sensing, will be described as an example. Therefore, the satellite image that the photographing support device 100 supports in photographing may be a multispectral image. Such a multispectral image records electromagnetic waves of different spectra reflected by various objects (water, soil, plants, etc.) that make up the earth's surface. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The photographing support device 100 can also be applied to other remote sensing, such as thermal infrared remote sensing and microwave remote sensing.

[0033] Figure 2 shows an example of the spectral reflectance characteristics of water, soil, and plants. In this figure, the horizontal axis shows the wavelength of electromagnetic waves in units of [μm]. In addition, in this figure, the vertical axis shows the reflectance. As shown in this figure, the spectral reflectance characteristics show the reflectance characteristics for each spectrum of each object. The reflectance characteristics for each spectrum of the objects that make up the earth's surface differ depending on the type. For example, "water" mainly reflects in the visible range (0.4 to 0.7 μm). "Soil" tends to reflect more strongly as the wavelength becomes longer, and mainly reflects in the short-wave infrared range (1.3 to 3 μm). "Plants" have the characteristic of efficiently absorbing the visible range through the action of photosynthetic pigments, while also reflecting the near-infrared range (0.7 to 1.3 μm).

[0034] Multispectral images, which record electromagnetic waves in different wavelength bands, are important data for understanding the spectral reflectance characteristics of such objects. By performing calculations using the information from the different wavelength bands contained in multispectral images, it is possible to effectively capture the characteristics of objects on the Earth's surface. This type of calculation is called inter-band calculations. As an example, in vegetation monitoring using remote sensing, an index called the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), which utilizes the spectral reflectance characteristics of plants, is widely used.

[0035] NDVI is calculated using the formula "NDVI = (NIR-RED) / (NIR+RED)". Here, NIR indicates reflectance in the near infrared range, and RED indicates reflectance in the visible red range. In other words, NDVI is the sum of the difference in reflectance of the near infrared band and the red band reflected by plants. NDVI is expressed as a normalized value between -1 and 1, and the denser the vegetation, the higher the value. Attempts are being made to capture changes in vegetation by using this NDVI as an index of the amount and activity of vegetation.

[0036] However, such an index may include various errors due to the shooting environment of the satellite image. As an example, when a plant on the earth's surface is photographed from the satellite 10, there may be a part where the soil is visible through the gaps between the plants. However, the condition of the soil (e.g., moisture content) may change from moment to moment. Such a change may affect the reflectance in the near infrared range and the visible range, and may naturally appear as an error in the NDVI calculated based on these. Therefore, it can be said that it is important to reduce the influence of such differences in the shooting environment on the analysis result in capturing the change of the earth's surface. The shooting support device 100 according to this embodiment supports the shooting of the satellite image so as to reduce such an influence, for example.

[0037] 3 shows an example of the flow of a photographing support method that may be executed by the photographing support device 100 according to this embodiment. The photographing support device 100 may support photographing a satellite image by outputting second information according to this flow, for example.

[0038] In step S310, the photographing support device 100 acquires first information. For example, the first information acquisition unit 110 may acquire first information indicating a first timing at which a satellite image of the target area was photographed. As an example, it is assumed that the user specifies the target area by various information such as an address, a place name, a landmark, and a postal code, or by geographic coordinates (e.g., latitude and longitude) assigned to the various information by geocoding. Then, it is assumed that the user requests the ground station 20 to photograph a satellite image of the target area specified in this manner at an arbitrary time (e.g., 9:00 on October 1, 2022). In such a case, the first information acquisition unit 110 may acquire information indicating the first timing = 9:00 on October 1, 2022 as the first information. At this time, the first information acquisition unit 110 may acquire such first information via a user input, or may acquire it from a photographing request command to the ground station 20. Furthermore, when data (referred to as "first satellite image data") of a satellite image (referred to as "first satellite image") captured based on such an image capture request has already been stored in the database 40, the first information acquisition unit 110 may acquire the first information from metadata stored in the database 40 in association with the first satellite image data. The first information acquisition unit 110 supplies the acquired first information to the prediction result acquisition unit 120 together with information designating the target area.

[0039] In step S320, the photography support device 100 acquires a prediction result. For example, the prediction result acquisition unit 120 may acquire a prediction result in which the photography environment in the target area is predicted in time series. As an example, the prediction result acquisition unit 120 may acquire a prediction result in which the photography environment in the target area is predicted in time series over a predetermined target period (for example, one month. That is, here, from 9:00 on October 1, 2022 to 9:00 on November 1, 2022) starting from the first timing indicated by the first information acquired in step S310. At this time, the prediction result acquisition unit 120 may access the homepages of the Japan Meteorological Agency, the Private Meteorological Business Support Center, and meteorological businesses, etc. (hereinafter referred to as "Japan Meteorological Agency, etc.") to acquire such a prediction result. Next, the prediction result acquisition unit 120 may search the database of the Japan Meteorological Agency, etc., using the target area, the target period, and the type of weather data as search keys. Then, the prediction result acquisition unit 120 may download the searched data as, for example, a CSV (Comma Separated Value) file. The prediction result acquisition unit 120 may acquire, for example, the weather data obtained in this way as a prediction result.

[0040] Here, the prediction result may include one or more indices that may indicate various shooting environments that affect the shooting of satellite images. Examples of such indices include weather, clouds, temperature, humidity, precipitation, sunshine hours, wind speed, wind direction, and the like. As described above, when vegetation is monitored, the moisture content of the soil may appear as an error in the NDVI. Therefore, the prediction result may include an index indicating the moisture content of the soil, for example, a soil precipitation index. The prediction result acquisition unit 120 may acquire such a prediction result from, for example, the Japan Meteorological Agency. The prediction result acquisition unit 120 supplies the acquired prediction result to the calculation unit 130.

[0041] In step S330, the photographing support device 100 calculates the similarity. For example, the calculation unit 130 may calculate the similarity of the photographing environment between the first timing indicated by the first information acquired in step S310 in a time series based on the prediction result acquired in step S320. As an example, when the prediction result acquired in step S320 includes a plurality of indexes, the prediction result becomes multidimensional data indicating the value of each index. In this case, the calculation unit 130 may calculate the distance between data for each index in a time series based on the first timing. The smaller the value of such distance between data, the more similar the photographing environment is to the first timing.

[0042] Then, the calculation unit 130 may weight and add the distance calculated for each index. At this time, the calculation unit 130 may set a weight for each index according to the degree of influence on the capture of the satellite image. In addition, the calculation unit 130 may set a constraint condition for an index that is considered to be important. For example, when the soil moisture content is considered to be important, the calculation unit 130 may set a weight function for the soil rainfall index so that the weighted average becomes a sufficiently large value when the distance for the soil rainfall index is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. In this way, the calculation unit 130 can exclude a timing in which the soil moisture content is not similar to the first timing so as not to be selected as a candidate timing. The calculation unit 130 supplies the weighted average calculated in this way to the determination unit 140 as a similarity, for example.

[0043] In step S340, the photographing support device 100 determines the second timing. For example, the determination unit 140 may determine the second timing at which the second satellite image should be photographed based on the similarity calculated in step S330. As an example, the determination unit 140 may select, as a candidate timing, a timing at which the weighted average calculated in step S330 is less than a predetermined threshold. Then, the determination unit 140 may determine the second timing from among the candidate timings, taking into consideration various other conditions (for example, orbital conditions and maintenance conditions of the satellite 10).

[0044] Here, as described above, when the soil moisture content is set as a constraint condition, the candidate timing at which the weighted average is less than a predetermined threshold value can be said to be a timing at which the difference in the index indicating the soil moisture content satisfies a predetermined criterion between the first timing and the candidate timing at which the difference in the index indicating the soil moisture content between the first timing and the candidate timing at which the second timing satisfies a predetermined criterion.

[0045] It is preferable that such a second timing includes not only one time point but multiple time points (which may be a continuous period or a collection of multiple discrete time points). This makes it possible to avoid a situation in which the satellite 10 is unable to capture an image at the determined second timing for some reason. 。 The determination section 140 notifies the second information output section 150 of the determined second timing.

[0046] In step S350, the photographing support device 100 outputs the second information. For example, the second information output unit 150 outputs the second information in step S 3 The second information output unit 150 may output second information indicating the second timing determined in 40. At this time, the second information output unit 150 may, for example, display the second information on a monitor, output it as sound through a speaker, print it out through a printer, or transmit it to another device.

[0047] This allows the user who has come into contact with the second information to newly request the ground station 20 to photograph the target area at the second timing. That is, the user can specify the timing for photographing the second satellite image as a timing in which the photographing environment is similar to the timing for photographing the first satellite image.

[0048] In remote sensing, attempts are being made to capture changes on the earth's surface by analyzing multiple satellite images taken at different times. However, the shooting environment changes from moment to moment when satellite images are taken. Therefore, differences in the shooting environment between multiple satellite images can affect the analysis results. Therefore, satellite image capture that takes the shooting environment into consideration is being considered. However, in the past, it was only possible to schedule capture so that shooting was not performed when the shooting environment was poor (for example, when it was raining or there was a lot of cloud cover), and it was not possible to actively make the shooting environment similar at multiple times when satellite images were taken.

[0049] In contrast, the photographing support device 100 according to the present embodiment determines the timing at which a satellite image should be photographed based on the predicted result of the photographing environment, and outputs the result. As a result, the photographing support device 100 according to the present embodiment can inform the user of the timing at which the first satellite image is photographed and the photographing environment are similar, so that, for example, the user can actively make the photographing environment similar at multiple times at which the satellite image is photographed. Therefore, for example, when multiple satellite image data are analyzed to capture changes on the earth's surface, the possibility of erroneous detection, such as a change being detected on the image even though there is no change, or a change not being detected on the image even though there is a change, can be reduced.

[0050] In addition, the photography support device 100 according to this embodiment also considers an index indicating the soil moisture content in the target area as the photography environment. This reduces the impact of changes in soil condition on the analysis results. This is particularly effective when using band-to-band calculations using the near-infrared or visible range for image analysis, for example, when monitoring vegetation using NDVI.

[0051] FIG. 4 shows an example of a block diagram of a photographing system 1 that may include a photographing support device 100 according to a modified example of this embodiment. In FIG. 4, the same reference numerals are attached to components having the same functions and configurations as those in FIG. 1, and description will be omitted except for the differences. In the above-mentioned embodiment, a case where the photographing support device 100 acquires a predicted result from an external source such as the Japan Meteorological Agency has been described as an example. However, in this modified example, the photographing support device 100 predicts at least a part of the predicted result by itself. The photographing support device 100 according to this modified example further includes a meteorological data acquisition unit 410 and a prediction unit 420 in addition to the functional units included in the photographing support device 100 according to the above-mentioned embodiment. Then, in this modified example, the prediction result acquisition unit 120 acquires at least a part of the predicted result from the prediction unit 420. From this point on, a case where the photographing support device 100 predicts an index indicating the moisture content of soil will be described as an example. However, this is not limited to this. The photographing support device 100 may predict various other indices.

[0052] The weather data acquisition unit 410 acquires weather data. The method of acquiring the weather data may be as described above. The Japan Meteorological Agency and others combine the advantages of AMeDAS (regional meteorological observation system) at about 1,300 locations (at about 17 km intervals) nationwide and meteorological radar that covers the entire country and observes the distribution of rain to calculate and announce accurate rainfall for each 5 km grid nationwide. The weather data acquisition unit 410 may acquire at least the radar / AMEDAS analysis rainfall announced by the Japan Meteorological Agency and others as weather data. The weather data acquisition unit 410 supplies the acquired weather data to the prediction unit 420. Note that the weather data acquisition unit 410 may supply the weather data that is used as it is as a prediction result of the shooting environment, among the acquired weather data, to the prediction result acquisition unit 120 instead of the prediction unit 420.

[0053] The prediction unit 420 predicts the imaging environment, here an index indicating the moisture content of the soil, based on the weather data. Then, the prediction unit 420 supplies the prediction result to the prediction result acquisition unit 120. At this time, the prediction unit 420 may predict the index indicating the moisture content of the soil using a tank model. This will be described in detail.

[0054] Figure 5 shows an example of a tank model. The tank model models the situation in which rain that falls on the ground soaks into the soil and then flows into a river or other water source with a time delay by arranging three tanks with holes in series. Each tank has outflow holes on the side, which represent the water flowing out to the surrounding area, and infiltration holes on the bottom, which represent the water seeping deeper. The outflow holes of the first tank correspond to surface runoff, the outflow holes of the second tank correspond to surface infiltration runoff, and the outflow holes of the third tank correspond to groundwater runoff. In addition, the inflow into the first tank corresponds to precipitation, the inflow into the second tank corresponds to outflow from the infiltration holes of the first tank, and the inflow into the third tank corresponds to outflow from the infiltration holes of the second tank. In other words, in the tank model, the amount of water contained in the soil is estimated by subtracting the amount of water that has flowed out to the river or other water source and the amount of water that has infiltrated into the soil below from the amount of rain that has fallen so far. In the tank model, the soil rainfall index is calculated by adding up the amount of moisture (reserved amount) remaining in each tank, and this corresponds to an index indicating the moisture content of the soil.

[0055] In such a tank model, there are several parameters that must be set, such as the height of the outflow hole, the runoff coefficient, the infiltration coefficient, etc. The soil rainfall index published by the Japan Meteorological Agency and other organizations generally uses uniform parameters for the whole country, and does not take into account the vegetation, geology, weathering, etc. of each region.

[0056] Therefore, the photographing support device 100 according to this modification predicts such an index by itself, instead of acquiring it from an external source such as the Japan Meteorological Agency. As an example, the meteorological data acquisition unit 410 may acquire the radar / AMEDAS analysis rainfall, and the prediction unit 420 may calculate the soil rainfall index using the radar / AMEDAS analysis rainfall and the tank model. Then, the prediction result acquisition unit 120 may acquire the soil rainfall index calculated by the prediction unit 420 as at least a part of the prediction result.

[0057] In this way, the photographing support device 100 according to this modification may predict the photographing environment, in this case, an index indicating the moisture content of the soil, by itself. As a result, the photographing support device 100 according to this modification can tune parameters taking into consideration the vegetation, geology, weathering, etc., of the target area, and can predict the photographing environment with a relatively high degree of accuracy using a model optimized for the target area.

[0058] FIG. 6 shows an example of a block diagram of the photographing system 1 that may include a photographing support device 100 according to another modified example of this embodiment. In FIG. 6, the same reference numerals are attached to components having the same functions and configurations as those in FIG. 1, and description will be omitted except for the differences. In the above-mentioned embodiment, the photographing support device 100 has only a function of supporting the photographing of satellite images, as an example. However, in this modified example, the photographing support device 100 further includes a function of acquiring and analyzing satellite image data in addition to the function of supporting the photographing of satellite images. The photographing support device 100 according to this modified example further includes a first image acquisition unit 610, a second image acquisition unit 620, an image analysis unit 630, and an analysis result output unit 640 in addition to the functional units included in the photographing support device 100 according to the above-mentioned embodiment. In addition, in this modified example, the second information output unit 150 can also transmit and output a photographing request command to the ground station 20, which requests the target area to be photographed at a second timing.

[0059] The first image acquisition unit 610 acquires first satellite image data obtained by photographing a target area at a first timing. For example, the first image acquisition unit 610 may acquire the first satellite image data obtained by photographing a target area at a first timing from the database 40 via a network. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The first image acquisition unit 610 may acquire the first satellite image data via various memory devices or user input, or may acquire the first satellite image data from another device different from the database 40. The first image acquisition unit 610 supplies the acquired first satellite image data to the image analysis unit 630.

[0060] The second image acquisition unit 620 acquires second satellite image data obtained by photographing the target area at a second timing. For example, the second image acquisition unit 620 may acquire the second satellite image data obtained by photographing the target area at a second timing from the database 40 via a network. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The second image acquisition unit 620 may acquire the second satellite image data via various memory devices or user input, or may acquire the second satellite image data from another device different from the database 40. Note that such second satellite image data may be acquired in response to the second information output unit 150 transmitting and outputting a photographing request command to the ground station 20. The second image acquisition unit 620 supplies the acquired second satellite image data to the image analysis unit 630.

[0061] The image analysis unit 630 analyzes the first satellite image data and the second satellite image data. For example, the image analysis unit 630 may analyze the first satellite image data acquired by the first image acquisition unit 610 to generate an NDVI image at a first timing. The image analysis unit 630 may analyze the second satellite image data acquired by the second image acquisition unit 620 to generate an NDVI image at a second timing. Then, the image analysis unit 630 may detect a change in vegetation in the target area based on the difference between the NDVI image at the first timing and the NDVI image at the second timing. The image analysis unit 630 can detect a change in vegetation in the target area based on the difference between the first satellite image data and the second satellite image data in this way, for example.

[0062] In the above description, the case where vegetation is monitored using NDVI is shown as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. Other indices such as an Extended Vegetation Index (EVI) or a Leaf Area Index (LAI) may be used instead of or in addition to NDVI. The image analysis unit 630 supplies the analysis result to the analysis result output unit 640.

[0063] The analysis result output unit 640 outputs the analysis result. For example, the analysis result output unit 640 may output the result of analysis by the image analysis unit 630. At this time, the analysis result output unit 640 may, for example, display the analysis result on a monitor, output it as audio through a speaker, print it out through a printer, or transmit it to another device. Furthermore, when a change in vegetation detected in the analysis result exceeds a predetermined standard, the analysis result output unit 640 may generate an alert to that effect.

[0064] In this way, the photographing support device 100 according to this modification may further include a function for acquiring the first satellite image data and the second satellite image data, and a function for analyzing these image data. As a result, the photographing support device 100 according to this modification can realize, by a single device, a function for supporting the photographing of a satellite image and a function for acquiring and analyzing the photographed satellite image data.

[0065] Furthermore, the photographing support device 100 according to this modification may detect changes in vegetation in a target area based on the difference between the first satellite image data and the second satellite image data. Here, the timing of photographing the first satellite image and the second satellite image is actively adjusted so that the photographing environments are similar. Therefore, it has a high affinity with a technique for performing difference analysis on multiple satellite image data acquired in this manner. As a result, the photographing support device 100 according to this modification can obtain highly accurate analysis results that reduce the influence of differences in the photographing environments, and can reduce the possibility of erroneous detection.

[0066] Furthermore, the photographing support device 100 according to this modification may generate an alert when a change in vegetation exceeding a predetermined standard is detected. In this way, the photographing support device 100 according to this modification can inform users of changes in vegetation due to climate change, artificial deforestation, and the like, based on the results of highly accurate analysis.

[0067] The photographing support device 100 according to this modification may transmit and output to the ground station 20 a photographing request command for requesting that the target area be photographed at the second timing. As a result, the photographing support device 100 according to this modification can automate the acquisition of the second satellite image without the user who has come into contact with the second information making a new photographing request. The photographing support device 100 according to this modification may determine the next second timing by acquiring the second timing at which the second satellite image was photographed as a new first timing, and transmit and output a further photographing request command to the ground station. As a result, the photographing support device 100 according to this modification can automate the continuous acquisition of satellite images.

[0068] Various embodiments of the present invention may be described with reference to flow charts and block diagrams, where the blocks may represent (1) stages of a process in which operations are performed or (2) sections of an apparatus responsible for performing the operations. Particular stages and sections may be implemented by dedicated circuitry, programmable circuitry provided with computer readable instructions stored on a computer readable medium, and / or a processor provided with computer readable instructions stored on a computer readable medium. Dedicated circuitry may include digital and / or analog hardware circuitry and may include integrated circuits (ICs) and / or discrete circuits. Programmable circuitry may include reconfigurable hardware circuitry including logical AND, logical OR, logical XOR, logical NAND, logical NOR, and other logical operations, memory elements such as flip-flops, registers, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic arrays (PLAs), and the like.

[0069] A computer-readable medium may include any tangible device capable of storing instructions that are executed by a suitable device, such that the computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon comprises an article of manufacture that includes instructions that can be executed to create means for performing the operations specified in the flowcharts or block diagrams. Examples of computer-readable media may include electronic storage media, magnetic storage media, optical storage media, electromagnetic storage media, semiconductor storage media, and the like. More specific examples of computer-readable media may include floppy disks, diskettes, hard disks, random access memories (RAMs), read-only memories (ROMs), erasable programmable read-only memories (EPROMs or flash memories), electrically erasable programmable read-only memories (EEPROMs), static random access memories (SRAMs), compact disk read-only memories (CD-ROMs), digital versatile disks (DVDs), Blu-ray (RTM) disks, memory sticks, integrated circuit cards, and the like.

[0070] The computer readable instructions may include either assembler instructions, Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state setting data, or source or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Smalltalk®, JAVA®, C++, etc., and conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages.

[0071] Computer readable instructions may be provided to a processor or programmable circuitry of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, either locally or over a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), such as the Internet, etc., to execute the computer readable instructions to create means for performing the operations specified in the flowcharts or block diagrams. Examples of processors include computer processors, processing units, microprocessors, digital signal processors, controllers, microcontrollers, etc.

[0072] 7 illustrates an example of a computer 9900 in which aspects of the present invention may be embodied in whole or in part. Programs installed on the computer 9900 may cause the computer 9900 to function as or perform operations associated with an apparatus or one or more sections of the apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and / or to perform a process or steps of a process according to an embodiment of the present invention. Such programs may be executed by the CPU 9912 to cause the computer 9900 to perform specific operations associated with some or all of the blocks of the flowcharts and block diagrams described herein.

[0073] The computer 9900 according to this embodiment includes a CPU 9912, a RAM 9914, a graphic controller 9916, and a display device 9918, which are connected to each other by a host controller 9910. The computer 9900 also includes input / output units such as a communication interface 9922, a hard disk drive 9924, a DVD drive 9926, and an IC card drive, which are connected to the host controller 9910 via an input / output controller 9920. The computer also includes legacy input / output units such as a ROM 9930 and a keyboard 9942, which are connected to the input / output controller 9920 via an input / output chip 9940.

[0074] The CPU 9912 operates according to programs stored in the ROM 9930 and the RAM 9914, thereby controlling each unit. The graphics controller 9916 retrieves image data generated by the CPU 9912 into a frame buffer or the like provided in the RAM 9914 or into itself, and causes the image data to be displayed on the display device 9918.

[0075] The communication interface 9922 communicates with other electronic devices over a network. The hard disk drive 9924 stores programs and data used by the CPU 9912 in the computer 9900. The DVD drive 9926 reads programs or data from the DVD-ROM 9901 and provides the programs or data to the hard disk drive 9924 via the RAM 9914. The IC card drive reads programs and data from an IC card and / or writes programs and data to an IC card.

[0076] The ROM 9930 stores therein a boot program or the like executed by the computer 9900 upon activation, and / or a program that depends on the hardware of the computer 9900. The input / output chip 9940 may also connect various input / output units to the input / output controller 9920 via a parallel port, a serial port, a keyboard port, a mouse port, etc.

[0077] The programs are provided by a computer-readable medium such as a DVD-ROM 9901 or an IC card. The programs are read from the computer-readable medium, installed in the hard disk drive 9924, the RAM 9914, or the ROM 9930, which are also examples of computer-readable media, and executed by the CPU 9912. Information processing described in these programs is read by the computer 9900, and brings about cooperation between the programs and the various types of hardware resources described above. An apparatus or method may be constructed by implementing information manipulation or processing according to the use of the computer 9900.

[0078] For example, when communication is performed between the computer 9900 and an external device, the CPU 9912 may execute a communication program loaded in the RAM 9914 and instruct the communication interface 9922 to perform communication processing based on the processing described in the communication program. Under the control of the CPU 9912, the communication interface 9922 reads transmission data stored in a transmission buffer processing area provided in the RAM 9914, the hard disk drive 9924, the DVD-ROM 9901, or a recording medium such as an IC card, and transmits the read transmission data to the network, or writes reception data received from the network to a reception buffer processing area or the like provided on the recording medium.

[0079] The CPU 9912 may also cause all or a necessary portion of a file or database stored on an external recording medium such as the hard disk drive 9924, the DVD drive 9926 (DVD-ROM 9901), an IC card, etc. to be read into the RAM 9914, and perform various types of processing on the data on the RAM 9914. The CPU 9912 then writes back the processed data to the external recording medium.

[0080] Various types of information, such as various types of programs, data, tables, and databases, may be stored in the recording medium and undergo information processing. The CPU 9912 may perform various types of processing on the data read from the RAM 9914, including various types of operations, information processing, conditional judgment, conditional branching, unconditional branching, information search / replacement, etc., as described throughout this disclosure and specified by the instruction sequence of the program, and write back the results to the RAM 9914. The CPU 9912 may also search for information in a file, database, etc. in the recording medium. For example, when a plurality of entries each having an attribute value of a first attribute associated with an attribute value of a second attribute are stored in the recording medium, the CPU 9912 may search for an entry that matches a condition, in which an attribute value of the first attribute is specified, from among the plurality of entries, read the attribute value of the second attribute stored in the entry, and thereby obtain the attribute value of the second attribute associated with the first attribute that satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0081] The above-described programs or software modules may be stored in a computer-readable medium on the computer 9900 or in the vicinity of the computer 9900. In addition, a recording medium such as a hard disk or a RAM provided in a server system connected to a dedicated communication network or the Internet can be used as a computer-readable medium, thereby providing the programs to the computer 9900 via the network.

[0082] Although the present invention has been described above using the embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It is clear to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made to the above embodiments. It is clear from the description of the claims that such modifications and improvements can also be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0083] It should be noted that the order of execution of each process, such as operations, procedures, steps, and stages, in the devices, systems, programs, and methods shown in the claims, specifications, and drawings is not specifically stated as "before," "prior to," etc., and may be realized in any order unless the output of a previous process is used in a later process. Even if the operational flow in the claims, specifications, and drawings is explained using "first," "next," etc. for convenience, it does not mean that it is essential to perform the process in this order. [Explanation of symbols]

[0084] 1. Remote Sensing System 10 satellites 20 Ground Station 30 Processing Bureau 40 Databases 100 Photography support device 110 1st Information Acquisition Department 120 Prediction result acquisition unit 130 Calculation section 140 Decision Section 150 Second information output unit 410 Weather Data Acquisition Unit 420 Prediction Department 610 First image acquisition unit 620 Second Image Acquisition Unit 630 Image Analysis Unit 640 Analysis result output section 9900 Computer 9901 DVD-ROM 9910 Host Controller 9912 CPU 9914 RAM 9916 Graphics Controller 9918 Display Device 9920 Input / Output Controller 9922 Communication Interface 9924 Hard Disk Drive 9926 DVD Drive 9930 ROM 9940 Input / Output Chip 9942 Keyboard

Claims

1. a first information acquisition unit that acquires first information indicating a first timing at which a satellite image of a target area was captured; a prediction result acquisition unit that acquires a prediction result obtained by time-series predicting the photography environment in the target area; a calculation unit that calculates a similarity of a photographing environment between the first timing and the second timing in a time series based on the prediction result; a determination unit that determines a second timing for capturing a satellite image of the target area based on the similarity; a second information output unit that outputs second information indicating the second timing; Equipped with An imaging support device, wherein the imaging environment includes at least an index indicating the moisture content of soil in the target area.

2. A meteorological data acquisition unit that acquires meteorological data; The photographing support device according to claim 1 , further comprising: a prediction unit that predicts the index based on the meteorological data.

3. The photographing support device according to claim 2 , wherein the prediction unit predicts the index using a tank model.

4. The photographing support device according to claim 1 , wherein the determination unit determines the second timing from among candidate timings in which a difference in the index between the first timing and the second timing satisfies a predetermined criterion.

5. The photographing support device according to claim 1 , wherein the second information output unit outputs a photographing request command requesting that the target area be photographed at the second timing.

6. a first image acquisition unit that acquires first satellite image data obtained by photographing the target area at the first timing; The photographing support device according to claim 1 , further comprising: a second image acquisition unit configured to acquire second satellite image data obtained by photographing the target area at the second timing.

7. The photographing support device according to claim 6 , further comprising an image analysis unit that analyzes the first satellite image data and the second satellite image data.

8. The photographing support device according to claim 7 , wherein the image analysis section detects a change in vegetation in the target area based on a difference between the first satellite image data and the second satellite image data.

9. The photographing support device according to claim 8 , further comprising an analysis result output unit that issues an alert when the change in the vegetation exceeds a predetermined standard.

10. The method is executed by a computer, the computer comprising: Obtaining first information indicating a first time when a satellite image of a target area was captured; Obtaining a prediction result obtained by predicting a photographing environment in the target area in a time series; calculating a similarity of the photographing environment between the first timing and the second timing in a time series based on the prediction result; determining a second timing for capturing a satellite image of the target area based on the similarity; outputting second information indicating the second timing; Equipped with A photography support method, wherein the photography environment includes at least an index indicating a moisture content of soil in the target area.

11. The method is executed by a computer, causing the computer to: a first information acquisition unit that acquires first information indicating a first timing at which a satellite image of a target area was captured; a prediction result acquisition unit that acquires a prediction result obtained by time-series predicting the photography environment in the target area; a calculation unit that calculates a similarity of a photographing environment between the first timing and the second timing in a time series based on the prediction result; a determination unit that determines a second timing for capturing a satellite image of the target area based on the similarity; a second information output unit that outputs second information indicating the second timing; and make it work. The photography environment includes at least an index indicating the moisture content of soil in the target area.

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