AisaIBIS is a robust and very high spectral resolution hyperspectral imager for ground and airborne measurement of sun-induced fluorescence from plants. Sun-induced fluorescence from plants, or ‘The Secret Light of Plants’ as often referred to, is rooted in the photosynthesis process during which plans essentially absorb light of one colour and emit another. Measuring this emission can be used as an indicator of photosynthetic activity of the plant, providing information about it’s vitality.

Specim created AisaIBIS together with Juelich Research Centre from Germany, as the Hyplant sensor, for the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Earth Explorer programme called FLEX. The project aims at providing global maps of vegetation fluorescence, which can be converted into an indicator of photosynthetic activity. AisaIBIS works as a precursor for a potential satellite instrument, and is used to produce airborne data for the development of fluorescence measurements.