An Hyperspectral Camera is typically mounted on a platform, such as a drone (UAV), to capture images of an agricultural field .

The Sunlight provides a broad spectrum of energy (visible light, Near-Infrared, etc.) that hits the plants.

The crops reflect this light back toward the camera. The color and intensity of the reflected light (the spectral signature) depend entirely on the plant's health, water content, and nutrient levels.

Bandpass Filter Selection

• Unlike standard cameras, HSI systems use a mechanism like a Bandpass Filter Wheel.
• This wheel contains multiple very narrow filters, each designed to pass only a specific, narrow range of wavelengths (e.g., a filter centered at 750nm, or one at 550nm.
• The camera cycles through these filters to capture an image slice for each specific wavelength. For example, the image illustrates a filter passing only light around the 750nm Near-Infrared (NIR) wavelength.