Exploratory analysis of hyperspectral imaging data

Characterizing sample composition and visualizing the distribution of its chemical compounds is a prominent topic in various research and applied fields. Integrating spatial and spectral information, hyperspectral imaging (HSI) plays a pivotal role in this pursuit. While self-modelling curve resolution techniques, like multivariate curve resolution - alternating least squares (MCR-ALS), and clustering methods, such as K-means, are widely used for HSI data analysis, their effectiveness in complex scenarios, where the structure of the data deviates from the models’ assumptions, deserves further investigation. The choice of a data analysis method is most often driven by research question at hand and prior knowledge of the sample. However, overlooking the structure of the investigated data, i.e. linearity, geometry, homogeneity, might lead to erroneous or biased results. Here, we propose an exploratory data analysis approach, based on the geometry of the data points cloud, to investigate the structure of HSI datasets and extract their main characteristics, providing insight into the results obtained by the above-mentioned methods. We employ the principle of essential information to extract archetype (most linearly dissimilar) spectra and archetype single-wavelength images. These spectra and images are then discussed and contrasted with MCR-ALS and K-means clustering results. Two datasets with varying characteristics and complexities were investigated: a powder mixture analyzed with Raman spectroscopy and a mineral sample analyzed with Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS). We show that the proposed approach enables to summarize the main characteristics of hyperspectral imaging data and provides a more accurate understanding of the results obtained by traditional data modelling methods, driving the choice of the most suitable one.