Comparative long-time visible and shortwave infrared night illumination measurements

During the last decade, the shortwave infrared (SWIR) spectral range has become a contender for night vision applications. For this application, it is necessary to compare SWIR and visible (VIS) sensor performance, which requires knowledge of illumination in these two ranges. Fraunhofer Institute of Optronics, System Technologies, and Image Exploitation initiated comparative long-time assessment of VIS and SWIR illumination including cloud coverage in 2019. A first analysis based on three months of operation is presented, showing preliminary results of the VIS/SWIR comparison, highlighting the problems of artificial light influence, and connecting the illumination to environmental effects.