Detailed choice of the spectral bands

The SPOT satellite is designed so as to provide multispectral observations with 20 m resolution and panchromatic observation with 10 m resolution. The three spectral bands allow a study of the spectral signature of objects; so, the detailed profile of these bands has been optimized so as to select the parts of major interest in the reflectance of various objects and minimize the atmospheric perturbation in the quantitative measurement. The panchromatic band is mainly involved in cartographic application; so the design of the spectral sensitivity is related to the study of the contrast between objects thematically characterized, taking into account the actual resolution.