Chemical images component classification

These same analysis techniques can be applied to chemical imaging data. Additionally, because of the huge number of spectra contained within a chemical imaging data set, and the power of statistical sampling, the PLS algorithm can also be applied in what is called classification mode as described in Section 8.4.5. When the model is applied to data from the sample, each spectrum is scored relative to its membership to a particular class (i.e. degree of purity relative to a chemical component). Higher scores indicate more similarity to the pure component spectra. While these scores are not indicative of the absolute concentration of a chemical component, the relative abundance between the components is maintained, and can be calculated. If all sample components are accounted for, the scores for each component can be normalized to unity, and a statistical assessment of the relative abundance of the components made. 

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