Thematic and statistical evaluations of five panchromatic/multispectral fusion methods on simulated PLEIADES-HR images

From 1999 to 2002, CNES (Centre National d'Études Spatiales--French Space Agency) led a research program aiming at identifying and evaluating panchromatic/multispectral fusion method on infra-metric spatial resolution images. For this study, images have been acquired over nine sites covering various landscapes (rural, urban or coastal). Five methods, selected as the most efficient, are compared on this data set. The evaluation is both qualitative with visual experts opinions and quantitative with statistical criteria. Finally, the methods are ranked according to their efficiency as regards to the landscapes and the visual expertises.