Sensor · Spaceborne

Panchromatic and Multi-spectral CCD Camera

Compiled from public sources on 2026-06-15. Not independently verified by Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST).

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Missions → Gaofen-1 (GF-1) (Operational) , Gaofen-6 (GF-6) (Operational)

High-resolution panchromatic and multispectral CCD camera family carried by GF-1, with 2 m panchromatic and 8 m multispectral resolution, VIS/NIR bands, and about 90 km swath in WMO OSCAR.

Sensor

The Panchromatic and Multi-spectral CCD Camera (PMS) is a passive-optical pushbroom instrument using CCD array detectors with time-delay integration (TDI) scanning.^[1] The camera operates across five VIS/NIR spectral bands: panchromatic (450-900 nm), blue (450-520 nm), green (520-590 nm), red (630-690 nm), and near-infrared (770-890 nm).^[1]

The PMS instrument configuration differs between platforms. On Gaofen-1, two PMS cameras are mounted to provide a combined nadir swath of approximately 69 km, with 2 m panchromatic and 8 m multispectral ground sampling distance and 10-bit data quantization.^[2] The later Gaofen-1B, Gaofen-1C, and Gaofen-1D satellites, launched in March 2018, each carry a single PMS camera with the same spectral bands and spatial resolution but with 12-bit quantization.^[3] On Gaofen-6, a single PMS camera covers a 90 km swath with the same 2 m panchromatic and 8 m multispectral resolution.^[1]

Documented applications include land cover classification, vegetation monitoring, disaster assessment, and biomass estimation.^[1]

Where this fits, supply chain

Compositional position

Gaofen-1 (GF-1) ——— this payload

Gaofen-6 (GF-6) ——— this payload

this ——— Gaofen-1 (GF-1) (Operational) flies on

this ——— Gaofen-6 (GF-6) (Operational) flies on

Methods this sensor implements

Demonstrated

Vegetation index mappingvia Gaofen-1 (GF-1)
PMS VIS/NIR bands support vegetation variables and NDVI per WMO OSCAR.
Optical time-series change detectionvia Gaofen-1 (GF-1)
GF-1 high-resolution land observation/disaster-monitoring PMS imagery supports optical land-change monitoring.

Capable, undemonstrated

None on record.

Topics this relates to

Economic activity intelligence Optical time-series change detection(demonstrated)adequate

Transport infrastructure monitoring Optical time-series change detection(demonstrated)adequate

Crop phenology Vegetation index mapping(demonstrated)well suited

Crop stress and yield Vegetation index mapping(demonstrated)well suited

Deforestation Vegetation index mapping(demonstrated)well suited

Land cover change Vegetation index mapping(demonstrated)well suited

Pasture and grazing Vegetation index mapping(demonstrated)well suited

Urban change Vegetation index mapping(demonstrated)well suited

Vector-borne disease risk Vegetation index mapping(demonstrated)well suited

Drought Vegetation index mapping(demonstrated)adequate

Irrigation monitoring Vegetation index mapping(demonstrated)adequate

Pest and disease detection Vegetation index mapping(demonstrated)adequate

Power grid and vegetation encroachment Vegetation index mapping(demonstrated)adequate

Urban heat island Vegetation index mapping(demonstrated)adequate

Wildfire Vegetation index mapping(demonstrated)adequate

Biodiversity and habitat Vegetation index mapping(demonstrated)marginal

Coastal erosion Vegetation index mapping(demonstrated)marginal

Coastal water quality Vegetation index mapping(demonstrated)marginal

Crop-type mapping Vegetation index mapping(demonstrated)marginal

Disaster damage assessment Vegetation index mapping(demonstrated)marginal

Forest structure and biomass Vegetation index mapping(demonstrated)marginal

Illegal construction Vegetation index mapping(demonstrated)marginal

Mineral exploration Vegetation index mapping(demonstrated)marginal

Pipeline integrity Vegetation index mapping(demonstrated)marginal

Solar energy siting and monitoring Vegetation index mapping(demonstrated)marginal

Vessel tracking Vegetation index mapping(demonstrated)marginal

Wind energy siting Vegetation index mapping(demonstrated)marginal

Sources

[1]WMO OSCAR instrument record: PMSagency doc-2026-06-15
[2]GF-1 (Gaofen-1) - eoPortal mission pagecommunity-2026-06-15
[3]Gaofen 6 (GF-6) - Gunter's Space Pagecommunity-2026-06-15
[4]Snowy Dove: open-source toolkit for Chinese Gaofen series data pre-processingpeer reviewed-2026-06-15
[5]USGS Open-File Report 2021-1030B: System Characterization Report on Gaofen-1agency doc2021-01-012026-06-14

Cite https://eo-atlas.org/products/sensor/pms Markdown twin → Field definitions →