David Bannon is COO of Headwall Photonics in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.

Hyperspectral imaging, which involves detection and spectral analysis using hundreds of narrow, contiguous spectral channels, has been deployed by the Department of Defense as a critical enabling technology to enhance battlespace awareness and homeland security. The acquisition of spectral information within a spatial framework is important for many applications ranging from UAV surveillance and target  classification to land mine detection to chemical/biological threat assessment. Hyperspectral monitors have also proven extremely valuable for environmental monitoring and remote sensing for earth science applications.