A fundamental question to ask when analyzing anything is, "Compared to what?" With no point of reference, facts and figures can grossly mislead you. It’s the same with infrared thermography (IR) — you need benchmarks.
Most thermographic cameras provide for various benchmarks, such as:
- Ambient. What's the temperature outside that cabinet?
- Background. What's the temperature inside that cabinet?
- Reference. What's the temperature of the side panel surface of that cabinet?