Predicting forest carbon stocks from high resolution satellite data in dry forests of Zimbabwe: exploring the effect of the red-edge band in forest carbon stocks estimation

In this study, we tested whether the inclusion of the red-edge band as a covariate to vegetation indices improves the predictive accuracy in forest carbon estimation and mapping in savanna dry forests of Zimbabwe. Initially, we tested whether and to what extent vegetation indices (simple ratio SR, soil-adjusted vegetation index and normalized difference vegetation index) derived from high spatial resolution satellite imagery (WorldView-2) predict forest carbon stocks. Next, we tested whether inclusion of reflectance in the red-edge band as a covariate to vegetation indices improve the model's accuracy in forest carbon prediction. We used simple regression analysis to determine the nature and the strength of the relationship between forest carbon stocks and remotely sensed vegetation indices. We then used multiple regression analysis to determine whether integrating vegetation indices and reflection in the red-edge band improve forest carbon prediction. Next, we mapped the spatial variation in forest carbon stocks using the best regression model relating forest carbon stocks to remotely sensed vegetation indices and reflection in the red-edge band. Our results showed that vegetation indices alone as an explanatory variable significantly (p < 0.05) predicted forest carbon stocks with R² ranging between 45 and 63% and RMSE ranging from 10.3 to 12.9%. However, when the reflectance in the red-edge band was included in the regression models the explained variance increased to between 68 and 70% with the RMSE ranging between 9.56 and 10.1%. A combination of SR and reflectance in the red edge produced the best predictor of forest carbon stocks. We concluded that integrating vegetation indices and reflectance in the red-edge band derived from high spatial resolution can be successfully used to estimate forest carbon in dry forests with minimal error.     

Evaluating metrics derived from Landsat 8 OLI imagery to map crop cover

Developing techniques are required to generate agricultural land cover maps to monitor agricultural fields. Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) offers reflectance data over the visible to shortwave-infrared range. OLI offers several advantages, such as adequate spatial and spectral resolution, and 16 day repeat coverage, furthermore, spectral indices derived from Landsat 8 OLI possess great potential for evaluating the status of vegetation. Additionally, classification algorithms are essential for generating accurate maps. Recently, multi-Grained Cascade Forest, which is also called deep forest, was proposed, and it was shown to give highly competitive performance for classification. However, the ability of this algorithm to generate crop maps with satellite data had not yet been evaluated. In this study, the reflectance at 7 bands and 57 spectral indices calculated from Landsat 8 OLI data were evaluated for its potential for crop type identification.     

机载激光雷达及高光谱的森林乔木物种多样性遥感监测

利用机载LiDAR和高光谱数据并结合37个地面调查样本数据,基于结构差异与光谱变异理论,通过相关分析法分别筛选了3个最优林冠结构参数和6个最优光谱指数,在单木尺度上利用自适应C均值模糊聚类算法,在神农架国家自然保护区开展森林乔木物种多样性监测,实现了森林乔木物种多样性的区域成图。研究结果表明,(1)基于结合形态学冠层控制的分水岭算法可以获得较高精度的单木分割结果(R~2=0.88,RMSE=13.17,P0.001);(2)基于LiDAR数据提取的9个结构参数中,95%百分位高度、冠层盖度和植被穿透率为最优结构参数,与Shannon-Wiener指数的相关性达到R~2=0.39—0.42(P0.01);(3)基于机载高光谱数据筛选的16个常用的植被指数中,CRI、OSAVI、Narrow band NDVI、SR、Vogelmann index1、PRI与Shannon-Wiener指数的相关性最高(R~2=0.37—0.45,P0.01);(4)在研究区,利用以30 m×30 m为窗口的自适应模糊C均值聚类算法可预测的最大森林乔木物种数为20,物种丰富度的预测精度为R~2=0.69,RMSE=3.11,Shannon-Wiener指数的预测精度为R~2=0.70,RMSE=0.32。该研究在亚热带森林开展乔木物种多样性监测,是在区域尺度上进行物种多样性成图的重要实践,可有效补充森林生物多样性本底数据的调查手段,有助于实现生物多样性的长期动态监测及科学分析森林物种多样性的现状和变化趋势。     

Employing ground and satellite-based QuickBird data and random forest to discriminate five tree species in a Southern African Woodland

With the emergence of very high spatial and spectral resolution data set, the resolution gap that existed between remote-sensing data set and aerial photographs has decreased. The decrease in resolution gap has allowed accurate discrimination of different tree species. In this study, discrimination of indigenous tree species (n?=?5) was carried out using ground based hyperspectral data resampled to QuickBird bands and the actual QuickBird imagery for the area around Palapye, Botswana. The purpose of the study was to compare the accuracies of resampled hyperspectral data (resampled to QuickBird sensors) with the actual image (QuickBird image) in discriminating between the indigenous tree species. We performed Random Forest (RF) using canopy reflectance taking from ground-based hyperspectral sensor and the reflectance delineated regions of the tree species. The overall accuracies for classifying the five tree species was 79.86 and 88.78% for both the resampled and actual image, respectively. We observed that resampled data set can be upscale to actual image with the same or even greater level of accuracy. We therefore conclude that high spectral and spatial resolution data set has substantial potential for tree species discrimination in savannah environments.     

Estimating soil salinity in Pingluo County of China using QuickBird data and soil reflectance spectra

Soil salinization is a worldwide environmental problem with severe economic and social consequences. In this paper, estimating the soil salinity of Pingluo County, China by a partial least squares regression (PLSR) predictive model was carried out using QuickBird data and soil reflectance spectra. At first, a relationship between the sensitive bands of soil salinity acquired from measured reflectance spectra and the spectral coverage of seven commonly used optical sensors was analyzed. Secondly, the potentiality of QuickBird data in estimating soil salinity by analyzing the correlations between the measured reflectance spectra and reflectance spectra derived from QuickBird data and analyzing the contributions of each band of QuickBird data to soil salinity estimation Finally, a PLSR predictive model of soil salinity was developed using reflectance spectra from QuickBird data and eight spectral indices derived from QuickBird data. The results indicated that the sensitive bands covered several bands of each optical sensor and these sensors can be used for soil salinity estimation. The result of estimation model showed that an accurate prediction of soil salinity can be made based on the PLSR method (R² = 0.992, RMSE = 0.195). The PLSR model's performance was better than that of the stepwise multiple regression (SMR) method. The results also indicated that using spectral indices such as intensity within spectral bands (Int1, Int2), soil salinity indices (SI1, SI2, SI3), the brightness index (BI), the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and the ratio vegetation index (RVI) as independent model variables can help to increase the accuracy of soil salinity mapping. The NDVI and RVI can help to reduce the influences of vegetation cover and soil moisture on prediction accuracy. The method developed in this paper can be applied in other arid and semi-arid areas, such as western China.     

The 13th Asian conference on remote sensing,Mongolia

Abstract

Three spatial resolutions of airborne remote sensing imagery (60 cm, 1 m, and 2 m) collected over multi‐layer aspen, pine, spruce, and mixedwood forest stands in Alberta on July 18^th, 1998 were tested for their ability to provide a statistical stand discrimination based on spatial co‐occurrence texture analysis. As spatial resolution increased, classification accuracies increased. The highest classification accuracy of 86.7% was obtained using the highest image spatial resolution data (60 cm), with spatial co‐occurrence texture and spectral signatures combined, and a thirteen‐class multi‐layer stand stratification. The texture of the highest spatial resolution imagery (60 cm pixel resolution) was interpreted to contain information on the crown architecture of individual trees. In larger windows, the texture was interpreted to contain information on stand structure. Texture of lower spatial resolution imagery (1 m and 2 m pixel resolution) could not detect individual tree crown architecture and was determined to be related primarily to stand structure characteristics. The use of texture channels improved the per‐plot classification accuracies by 15.7%, compared to the use of the spectral data alone.     

Study of fractional vegetation cover using high spectral resolution data

A field experiment was conducted to study the effect of vegetation cover on soil spectra and relationship of spectral indices with vegetation cover. Multi-date spectral measurements were carried out on twelve wheat fields. Five sets of measurements were taken during the growth period of wheat crop. Field reflectance data were collected in the range 350 to 1800 nm using ASD spectroradiometer. Analysis of data was done to select narrow spectral bands for estimation of ground cover. The ratio of reflectance from vegetation covered soil and reflectance from bare soil indicated that spectral reflectance at 670 and 710 nm are the most sensitive bands. Two bands in visible (670 and 560 nm), three bands in near infrared (710, 870 and 1100 nm) and three bands in middle infrared (1480, 1700 and 1800 nm) were found highly correlated with fractional cover. Vegetation indices developed using narrow band spectral data have been found to be better than those developed using broad- band data for estimation of ground cover.     

针叶林冠层热点及多角度无人机遥感观测及特征分析

多角度遥感观测是研究植被冠层BRDF (Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function)特性的重要手段,但目前对森林冠层进行连续间隔采样的多角度遥感观测及数据较少,热点方向的观测尤为缺乏。本研究基于无人机多角度高光谱成像系统,在主平面上对针叶林冠层以等角度连续间隔采样进行多角度观测,获取了主平面上多角度(包括热点和暗点)高光谱影像,并将观测结果与四尺度几何光学模型模拟结果进行对比分析。多角度观测获取的植被冠层反射率呈现出典型的植被方向反射特征,后向大部分角度观测的冠层反射率高于前向,在热点处出现峰值,在暗点附近方向出现最低值,观测天顶角VZA (View Zenith Angle)较大时表现出明显的"碗边效应"。结果表明:(1)观测的针叶林冠层反射率及BRDF特性与四尺度模型模拟基本一致,但红光波段模拟的热点反射率稍低于观测,前向观测VZA较大时模拟与观测结果差异稍大;(2)冠层结构及叶片光学特性的差异会导致观测到的BRDF特征不同;(3)观测的针叶林冠层BRDF呈现明显的光谱效应,不同波段呈现的各向异性特性不同,红光波段各向异性最强,近红外波段最弱;(4) BRDF的光谱效应差异导致观测到的植被指数也表现出各向异性,NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index)、PRI (Photochemical Reflectance Index)和MTCI(MERIS Terrestrial Chlorophyll Index)在热点方向最低,EVI (Enhanced Vegetation Index)在热点方向最高。本研究中无人机多角度成像观测提供的角度和高光谱信息,尤其是热点和暗点信息,在地物识别及分类、植被冠层结构反演及碳循环关键参数获取等研究方面具有较好的应用前景,在其它地物反射或热辐射等方向性特性研究中也具有较大的潜力。     

Using high-resolution,multispectral imagery to assess the effect of soil properties on vegetation reflectance at an abandoned feedlot

Remotely sensed multispectral imagery, soils and graminoid samples from an abandoned cattle feedlot and adjacent wetlands were used to characterize plant vigour and soil nutrient distribution and evaluate the relationship between soil properties and vegetation reflectance. The feedlot lies on a sandy beach ridge, which likely mitigates the mobility of soil phosphorus. Soil phosphorus remains concentrated directly beneath the feedlot pens, where vegetation indices are low. In contrast, nitrate is transported through preferential pathways into the wetlands, where vegetation indices and plant vigour are high. Although spectral vegetation indices did not show any significant relationship with plant tissue nutrient concentration, the indices showed statistically significant relationships to some soil properties. Results of this study indicate that the abundance of nutrients in the soil does not necessarily enhance plant growth. This can limit the extent that remotely sensed vegetation indices can be used to evaluate soil nutrients concentrations.     

Retrieval of boreal forest LAI using a forest reflectance model and empirical regressions

Spectral invariants provide a novel approach for characterizing canopy structure in forest reflectance models and for mapping biophysical variables using satellite images. We applied a photon recollision probability (p) based forest reflectance model (PARAS) to retrieve leaf area index (LAI) from fine resolution SPOT HRVIR and Landsat ETM+ satellite data. First, PARAS was parameterized using an extensive database of LAI-2000 measurements from five conifer-dominated boreal forest sites in Finland, and mixtures of field-measured forest understory spectra. The selected vegetation indices (e.g. reduced simple ratio, RSR), neural networks and kNN method were used to retrieve effective LAI (L_e) based on reflectance model simulations. For comparison, we established empirical vegetation index-LAI regression models for our study sites. The empirical RSR–L_e regression performed best when applied to an independent test site in southern Finland [RMSE 0.57 (24.2%)]. However, the difference to the best reflectance model based retrievals produced by neural networks was only marginal [RMSE 0.59 (25.1%)]. According to this study, the PARAS model provides a simple and flexible modelling tool for calibrating algorithms for LAI retrieval in conifer-dominated boreal forests. The advantage of PARAS is that it directly uses field measurements to parameterize canopy structure (LAI-2000, hemispherical photographs) and optical properties of foliage and understory.     

WorldView-2纹理的森林地上生物量反演

使用高空间分辨率卫星WorldView-2的多光谱遥感影像,构建植被指数和纹理因子等遥感因子与森林地上生物量的关系方程,并计算模型估测精度和均方根误差,探索高分辨率数据的光谱与纹理信息在温带森林地上生物量估测应用中的潜力。以黑龙江省凉水自然保护区温带天然林及天然次生林为研究对象,通过灰度共生矩阵(GLCM)、灰度差分向量(GLDV)及和差直方图(SADH)对高分辨率遥感影像进行纹理信息提取,并利用外业调查的74个样地地上生物量与遥感因子建立参数估计模型。提取的遥感因子包括6种植被指数(比值植被指数RVI、差值植被指数DVI、规一化植被指数NDVI、增强植被指数EVI、土壤调节植被指数SAVI和修正的土壤调节植被指数MSAVI)以及3类纹理因子(GLCM、GLDV和SADH)。为避免特征变量个数较多对估测模型造成过拟合,利用随机森林算法对提取的遥感因子进行特征选择,将最优的特征变量输入模型参与建模估测。采用支持向量回归(SVR)进行生物量建模及验证,结果显示选入模型的和差直方图均值(sadh_mean)、灰度共生矩阵方差(glcm_var)和差值植被指数(DVI)等遥感因子对森林地上生物量有较好的解释效果;植被指数+纹理因子组合的模型获得较精确的AGB估算结果(R2=0.85,RMSE=42.30 t/ha),单独使用植被指数的模型精度则较低(R~2=0.69,RMSE=61.13 t/ha)。     

机载激光雷达平均树高提取研究

为了研究机载激光雷达(LiDAR)树高提取技术,以山东省泰安市徂徕山林场为实验区,于2005年5月进行了机载LiDAR数据获取和外业测量.通过对LiDAR点云数据的分类处理,分别得到了试验区的地面点云子集、植被点云子集和高程归一化的植被点云子集.基于高程归一化的植被点云子集计算了上四分位数处的高度,与实地测量的数据进行了比较,并结合中国森林调查规程进行了实用性分析.结果表明:对于较低密度的点云数据,使用分位数法可以较好地进行林分平均高的估计;机载激光雷达技术对树高估计是可行的,精度都高于87%,总体平均精度为90.59%,其中阔叶树的精度高于针叶树.该试验精度可以满足中国二类森林调查规程中平均树高因子的一般商品林和生态公益林的精度要求,对国有商品林小班的调查精度要求(5%)存在一点差距,需要在国有商品林区进一步开展验证工作.对本试验区而言,已经可以满足其作为森林公园生态公益林的调查要求.     

高光谱反演水稻叶面积指数的主成分分析法

为了通过水稻冠层反射光谱来提取水稻叶面积指数信息，尝试利用辐射传输模型PROSPECT+SAIL来模拟水稻冠层反射光谱， 比较了各植被指数中叶面积指数(LAI)和叶绿素浓度的相关性。在观察光谱曲线后发现，红边位置光谱可以较好地区分LAI和叶绿素 浓度二者引起光谱变化的差异。由此提出对700 nm~750 nm区间内的反射光谱做主成分变换，并利用第2主成分与LAI建立反演模型( 即主成分分析法)，取得了较好效果，表明在植被指数趋近于饱和以至于无法区分二者相关性时，主成分分析法可以作为一种简单 而有效提取水稻叶面积指数信息的补充手段。     

Reclamation areas and their development studied by vegetation indices

Abstract

Large areas in the Czech Republic were used for open casts of brown coal mining. Many of them have been already closed. Reclamation of them and of their dumps is the next step intheir development. It is possible to divide used reclamations into the forest, hydrologic, agricultural and other ones – roads, etc. Their age varies from 45 years to as yet unfinished. Reclaimed areas are documented in reclamation projects. Information about age and land use determined groups of these areas to be evaluated by vegetation indices. 100 areas with forest type were evaluated. Eight vegetation indices (NDVI, DVI, RVI, PVI, SAVI, MSAVI, TSAVI and EVI) were calculated and their average value in each area in 1988, 1992 and 1998 Thematic Mapper data were compared. Changes over years showed close relation to precipitations of previous periods. This relation was confirmed by evaluation of forest areas situated near reclamation areas. Positive/negative changes of vegetation indices were different for different groups and different vegetation indices. An overview of results of vegetation indices is presented for individual areas whose land use comprised at least partly forest stand. Results in a 4-year period (1988–1992) were in many areas by many indices negative, changes in 10 years were in most areas by most vegetation indices positive. Changes, minimum values and maximum values in groups were compared. Evaluation of vegetation indices brought again various results. One vegetation index is not sufficient to prove improvement/deterioration of vegetation changes. Precipitation state before measurement should be controlled. Temporary shortage of precipitation can cause vegetation cover deterioration, which is also only temporary. The best development derived from vegetation indices evaluation was found at forest reclamation with mixed tree stand that was 10–20 years old. The method was derived as a tool for post-finishing control of vegetation development of reclamations performed in several year periods.     

Tsunami 2004: the villages of Birek and Seungko Mulat,Indonesia

The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential of imaging spectroscopy for the discrimination between eucalyptus species. High spectral reflectance signatures of 11 eucalyptus species were measured in the laboratory and significant differences at a number of wavelength positions were detected. There were differences in terms of absolute reflectance, depths of absorption features and the relative position of change in terms of the wavelength. The differences between species were more noticeable in the first derivative spectra when compared with the raw spectra. This was attributed to the ability of derivatives to remove the noise from raw reflectance spectra. The results also indicate the possibility of utilizing the common vegetation indices and ratios used in remote sensing for discriminating species and highlight the need to select spectral channels at pertinent positions where the differences are the greatest. This study has identified many of these positions in relation to some eucalyptus species. However, the study also shows that there is no single wavelength which will discriminate between all species and it also shows that even with hyperspectral data, issues with detailed level of mapping will still exist.     

基于无人机数据的植被指数空间尺度效应研究

利用cm级空间分辨率的无人机高光谱图像研究了NDVI、PRI等14种植被指数随空间尺度升高的变化规律,并分析了不同植被覆盖度(FVC)下植被指数的空间尺度效应,比较了各植被指数空间尺度效应的强弱。得到的结论如下:(1)随着空间尺度升高,不同植被指数的变化趋势和幅度并不一致;(2)cm级的空间分辨率下,由于植被类内光谱差异和冠层阴影的影响,植被指数在植被覆盖度大于等于0.5的中高植被覆盖下受空间尺度效应的影响更大;(3)由相对简单的比值形式构成的植被指数如NDVI、SR等,具有抵抗空间尺度效应的能力,增加计算公式的复杂性会降低这种能力;(4)对色素和冠层水分敏感的窄波段容易受到空间尺度效应的影响,进而使得由这些窄波段构成的植被指数对空间尺度变化更为敏感。     

Multi-sensor Analyses of Vegetation Indices in a Semi-arid Environment

Multi-sensor comparisons are sometimes used due to limited image availability and temporal coverage by a single sensor. However, multi-sensor comparability is not well documented. Factors affecting direct comparability such as atmospheric conditions, landscape heterogeneity, landscape changes, and sensor characteristics are difficult to quantify. This study compared several vegetation indices (VIs) from multi-sensor data to determine if VIs are comparable across scales and sensors. Within-sensor comparisons demonstrate that VIs are consistent across spatial resolutions indicating a direct multi-scale comparability. However, among-sensor comparisons indicate that VIs calculated from different sensors are not comparable with one another regardless of spatial resolution. Sensor-specific characteristics appear to offer the best explanation for the observed results.     

Estimation of Crown Closure and Tree Density Using Landsat TM Satellite Images in Mixed Forest Stands

The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between crown closure and tree density in mixed forest stands using Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) reflectance values (TM 1- TM 5 and TM 7) and six vegetation indices (SR, DVI, SAVI, NDVI, TVI and NLI). In this study, multiple regression analysis was used to estimate the relationships between the crown closure and tree density (number of tree stems per hectare) using reflectance values and vegetation indices (VIs). The results demonstrated that the model that used SR and DVI had the best performances in terms of crown closure (R²?=?0.674) and the model that used the DVI and SAVI had the best performances in terms of tree density (R²?=?0.702). The regression model that used TM 1, TM 3 together with TM 4 showed the performances of the crown closure (R²?=?0.610) and the regression model that used TM 1 showed the performances of the tree density (0.613). Results obtained from this research show that vegetation indices (VIs) were a better predictor of crown closure and tree density than other TM bands.