Does V-NIR based Image Enhancement Come with Better Features?

Abstract: Image enhancement using the visible (V) and near-infrared (NIR) usually enhances useful image details. The enhanced images are evaluated by observers perception, instead of quantitative feature evaluation. Thus, can we say that these enhanced images using NIR information has better features in comparison to the computed features in the Red, Green, and Blue color channels directly? In this work, we present a new method to enhance the visible images using NIR information via edge-preserving filters, and also investigate which method performs best from a image features standpoint. We then show that our proposed enhancement method produces more stable features than the existing state-of-the-art methods.