The UP42 platform unifies geospatial data access, satellite tasking, and processing into a single environment, while standardizing and harmonizing every delivery to ensure it’s immediately operational. To achieve this, we work with the world’s leading geospatial data and analytics providers. In some cases, however, specific customer requirements call for targeted technical solutions. This was the case with our recent processing algorithm: True Color Conversion (TCC).
True Color Conversion by UP42
The TCC algorithm applies color curve correction and bit conversion to 16-bit encoded RGB bands in Pléiades, Pléiades Neo, and SPOT imagery. The result is a standardized 8-bit True Color GeoTIFF file.
To understand why this matters, we first need to look at bit depth. Bit depth defines the number of bits per pixel, determining the range of color or intensity values, and directly influences the detail available for visualization and analysis.
From 16 to 8-bit with True Color Conversion
16-bit
Each pixel in a given band can store up to 2^16 values, typically using unsigned integers ranging from 0 to 65,535. This format is essential for scientific classification and radiometric analysis, allowing computers to detect subtle differences in vegetation or geology that the human eye would miss. While this detail is critical for measuring plant health or identifying minerals, the files are significantly larger and harder to render.
16-bit image
8-bit
Each pixel can store up to 2^8 values using unsigned integers from 0 to 255. These 256 shades align with how our eyes perceive color and how most web maps are designed to function. This makes 8-bit the standard for RGB previews and everyday mapping, as it provides the necessary contrast for features to be "visible" to both the eye and standard algorithms.
The TCC algorithm allows you to "compress" those 65,536 shades down into 8 bits (the 256 visual values that a standard monitor can display.)
8-bit image
Why convert from 16 to 8-bit?
While many providers offer both data products, users who have already acquired 16-bit reflectance data often find themselves needing an 8-bit version for specific tasks.
Running further analytics
Many analytics algorithms work with standardized display products. By utilizing TCC, your initial AOI order can be used more broadly and has more processing potential across the UP42 ecosystem.
Once your data is converted to a 8-bit display product, you can immediately apply a wide range of specialized processing algorithms directly within the platform, for use cases such as:
- Upsampling or coregistration: Improve the spatial resolution or the positional accuracy of imagery against a reference with Upsampling from Nara Space or Coregistration from Simularity.
- Object detection: Feed the 8-bit output into algorithms like Aircraft, Truck, or Car Detection from Orbital Insight to accurately identify features.
- Vegetation management: Run the Tree or Shadow Detection algorithms from Spacept to see the pixels being part of a tree or a shadow.
- Urban planning: Detect buildings with Building Detection from Spacept.
TCC transforms your data into a more versatile asset that can be used in multiple processes without leaving the UP42 platform.
Optimizing WMTS performance
Web mapping protocols are built for speed. Streaming 16-bit imagery in real-time can cause performance lags, high latency, or rendering bugs in GIS tools like ArcGIS and QGIS. The main challenge is that WMTS does not perform the color balancing adjustments required to build a visually appealing display. Simply put, instead of a smooth transition, the computer would clump similar colors together. Converting to 8-bit ensures a smoother, more responsive streaming experience while handling the color adjustments necessary for an accurate interpretation.
The TCC algorithm performs all color balancing and tone adjustments while the image is still in a 16-bit format. This ensures there is less visible banding (e.g., where smooth gradients such as a clear sky or a calm body of water would otherwise appear as bands of color instead of a smooth blend), and prevents the loss of detail that occurs when fewer colors are available during the scaling process. Transitions and gradients remain smoother and unintended color shifts are prevented, ensuring a more truthful representation of the original scene.
For our customers, this delivers automation and cost efficiency. By integrating this process directly into your UP42 workflow, you eliminate the need for manual, off-platform conversions while ensuring high-integrity results. Instead of purchasing separate, standalone display products, you can now generate display-ready assets from your existing 16-bit archive exactly when you need them.
At UP42, we work toward a single vision: to centralize and automate your geospatial operations on a single platform. This means providing centralized access to the best data and algorithms, as well as ensuring your data is in the exact format required for your specific infrastructure.
Run True Color Conversion on the UP42 platform.
