Land cover mapping in the Upper Shire River catchment in Malawi using Landsat satellite data

Land cover mapping forms a reference base for resource managers in their decision-making processes to guide rural/urban growth and management of natural resources. The aim of this study was to map land cover dynamics within the Upper Shire River catchment, Malawi. The article promotes innovation of automated land cover mapping based on remote sensing information to generate data products that are both appropriate to, and usable within different scientific applications in developing countries such as Malawi. To determine land cover dynamics, 1989 and 2002 Landsat images were used. Image bands were combined in transformations and indices with physical meaning; together with spatial data, to enhance classification accuracy. A maximum likelihood classification for each image was computed for identification of land cover variables. The results showed that the combination of spatial and digital data enhanced classification accuracy and the ability to categorise land cover features, which are relatively inhomogeneous.     

Service-oriented infrastructure for flood mapping using optical and SAR satellite data

In this paper, we present the service-oriented infrastructure within the Wide Area Grid project that was carried out within the Working Group on Information Systems and Services of the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites. The developed infrastructure integrates services and computational resources of several regional and national Grid systems: Ukrainian Academician Grid (with satellite data processing Grid segment, UASpaceGrid) and Grid system at the Center on Earth Observation and Digital Earth of Chinese Academy of Sciences. The study focuses on integrating geo-information services on flood mapping provided by Ukrainian and Chinese entities to benefit from information acquired from multiple sources. We also describe services for workflow automation and management in Grid environment and provide an example of workflow automation for generating flood maps from optical and synthetic-aperture radar satellite imagery. We also discuss issues of enabling trust for the infrastructure using certificates and reputation-based model. Applications of utilizing the developed infrastructure for operational flood mapping in Ukraine and China are given as well.     

Land Use/Land Cover mapping and change detection using space Borne data

Land Use/Land Cover classes in Thiruvallur area of Chengai_— MGR district in Tamil Nadu during the years 1986–90 were mapped through visual interpretation of LANDSAT 5 TM and IRS 1A LISS II images, over space and time. In the study area, it is observed that the built-up area and the agricultural land use extensions are on the upward trend, whereas the area under forest and wasteland has shown a declining trend, caused by both increasing population and related trends in other parameters. The system devised through the study has thus been able to detect the changes in the land uses and cover classes during the selected time periods.     

Evaluation of multisource data for glacier terrain mapping: a neural net approach

Spectrally similar nature of land covers in a glacierized terrain hampers their automated mapping from multispectral satellite data, which may be overcome by using multisource data. In the present study, an artificial neural network (ANN)-based information extraction approach was applied for mapping the Kolahoi glacier and adjoining areas, using Landsat TM (Thematic Mapper) data and several ancillary layers such as image transformations and topographic attributes. Results reveal that ANN (highest overall accuracy (OA): 83.74%) outperforms maximum likelihood classifier (highest OA: 66.90%) and the incorporation of ancillary data into the classification process significantly enhances the mapping accuracy (>9%), particularly the addition of Near Infrared Red/Short Wave Infrared (NIR/SWIR) data to the spectral data. A nine-band combination dataset (spectral data, slope, Red/NIR and decorrelation stretch) was found to be the best multisource dataset. Results of the Z-tests (at 95% confidence level) also corroborate and statistically validate the above findings.     

Generation and evaluation of gross primary productivity using Landsat data through blending with MODIS data

Spatial and Temporal Adaptive Reflectance Fusion Model (STARFM) has been used for the blending of Landsat and MODIS data. Specifically, the 30 m Landsat-7 ETM+ (Enhanced Thematic Mapper plus) surface reflectance was predicted for a period of 10 years (2000–2009) as the product of observed ETM+ and MODIS surface reflectance (MOD09A1) on the predicted and observed ETM+ dates. A pixel based analysis for six observed ETM+ dates covering winter and summer crops showed that the prediction method was more accurate for NIR band (mean r² = 0.71, p ≤ 0.01) compared to green band (mean r² = 0.53; p ≤ 0.01). A recently proposed chlorophyll index (CI), which involves NIR and green spectral bands, was used to retrieve gross primary productivity (GPP) as the product of CI and photosynthetic active radiation (PAR). The regression analysis of GPP derived from closet observed and synthetic ETM+ showed a good agreement (r² = 0.85, p ≤ 0.01 and r² = 0.86, p ≤ 0.01) for wheat and sugarcane crops, respectively. The difference between the GPP derived from synthetic and observed ETM+ (prediction residual) was compared with the difference in GPP values from observed ETM+ on the two dates (temporal residual). The prediction residuals (mean value of 1.97 g C/m² in 8 days) was found to be significantly lower than the temporal residuals (mean value of 4.46 g C/m² in 8 days) that correspondence to 12% and 27%, respectively, of GPP values (mean value of 16.53 g C/m² in 8 days) from observed ETM+ data, implying that the prediction method was better than temporal pixel substitution. Investigating the trend in synthetic ETM+ GPP values over a growing season revealed that phenological patterns were well captured for wheat and sugarcane crops. A direct comparison between the GPP values derived from MODIS and synthetic ETM+ data showed a good consistency of the temporal dynamics but a systematic error that can be read as bias (MODIS GPP over estimation). Further, the regression analysis between observed evapotranspiration and synthetic ETM+ GPP showed good agreement (r² = 0.66, p ≤ 0.01).     

Multiscale mapping of burn area and severity using multisensor satellite data and spatial autocorrelation analysis

Traditional methods of recording fire burned areas and fire severity involve expensive and time-consuming field surveys. Available remote sensing technologies may allow us to develop standardized burn-severity maps for evaluating fire effects and addressing post fire management activities. This paper focuses on multiscale characterization of fire severity using multisensor satellite data. To this aim, both MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) and ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) data have been processed using geo-statistic analyses to capture pattern features of burned areas.Even if in last decades different authors tried to integrate geo-statistics and remote sensing image processing, methods used since now are only variograms, semivariograms and kriging. In this paper, we propose an approach based on the use of spatial indicators of global and local autocorrelation. Spatial autocorrelation statistics, such as Moran's I and Getis–Ord Local Gi index, were used to measure and analyze dependency degree among spectral features of burned areas. This approach enables the characterization of pattern features of a burned area and improves the estimation of fire severity.     

Net primary productivity of forest stands in New Hampshire estimated from Landsat and MODIS satellite data

Background

A simulation model that relies on satellite observations of vegetation cover from the Landsat 7 sensor and from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) was used to estimate net primary productivity (NPP) of forest stands at the Bartlett Experiment Forest (BEF) in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

Results

Net primary production (NPP) predicted from the NASA-CASA model using 30-meter resolution Landsat inputs showed variations related to both vegetation cover type and elevational effects on mean air temperatures. Overall, the highest predicted NPP from the NASA-CASA model was for deciduous forest cover at low to mid-elevation locations over the landscape. Comparison of the model-predicted annual NPP to the plot-estimated values showed a significant correlation of R² = 0.5. Stepwise addition of 30-meter resolution elevation data values explained no more than 20% of the residual variation in measured NPP patterns at BEF. Both the Landsat 7 and the 250-meter resolution MODIS derived mean annual NPP predictions for the BEF plot locations were within ± 2.5% of the mean of plot estimates for annual NPP.

Conclusion

Although MODIS imagery cannot capture the spatial details of NPP across the network of closely spaced plot locations as well as Landsat, the MODIS satellite data as inputs to the NASA-CASA model does accurately predict the average annual productivity of a site like the BEF.     

点坡度熵在地形简化中的应用

坡度是定量描述地貌形态特征的重要因子。针对DEM坡度在地形简化中应用研究较少的现状,本文基于信息熵理论提出了点坡度熵（SEP）概念,构建了量化地形信息的点坡度熵模型,研究了基于点坡度熵的地形简化方法。结合试验样区数据,将常用的重要点法与该方法进行了应用对比。结果表明,该方法可有效保留地形骨架信息,取主舍次效果优于重要点法。该方法对后续DEM地形简化研究具有一定参考价值。     

Timing of erosion and satellite data: A multi-resolution approach to soil erosion risk mapping

Erosion reduces soil productivity and causes negative downstream impacts. Erosion processes occur on areas with erodible soils and sloping terrain when high-intensity rainfall coincides with limited vegetation cover. Timing of erosion events has implications on the selection of satellite imagery, used to describe spatial patterns of protective vegetation cover. This study proposes a method for erosion risk mapping with multi-temporal and multi-resolution satellite data. The specific objectives of the study are: (1) to determine when during the year erosion risk is highest using coarse-resolution data, and (2) to assess the optimal timing of available medium-resolution images to spatially represent vegetation cover during the high erosion risk period. Analyses were performed for a 100-km² pasture area in the Brazilian Cerrados. The first objective was studied by qualitatively comparing three-hourly TRMM rainfall estimates with MODIS NDVI time series for one full year (August 2002–August 2003). November and December were identified as the months with highest erosion risk. The second objective was examined with a time series of six available ASTER images acquired in the same year. Persistent cloud cover limited image acquisition during high erosion risk periods. For each ASTER image the NDVI was calculated and classified into five equally sized classes. Low NDVI was related to high erosion risk and vice versa. A DEM was used to set approximately flat zones to very low erosion risk. The six resulting risk maps were compared with erosion features, visually interpreted from a fine-resolution QuickBird image. Results from the October ASTER image gave highest accuracy (84%), showing that erosion risk mapping in the Brazilian Cerrados can best be performed with images acquired shortly before the first erosion events. The presented approach that uses coarse-resolution temporal data for determining erosion periods and medium-resolution data for effective erosion risk mapping is fast and straightforward. It shows good potential for successful application in other areas with high spatial and temporal variability of vegetation cover.     

Assessment of terrain elevation derived from satellite laser altimetry over mountainous forest areas using airborne lidar data

Gaussian decomposition has been used to extract terrain elevation from waveforms of the satellite lidar GLAS (Geoscience Laser Altimeter System), on board ICESat (Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite). The common assumption is that one of the extracted Gaussian peaks, especially the lowest one, corresponds to the ground. However, Gaussian decomposition is usually complicated due to the broadened signals from both terrain and objects above over sloped areas. It is a critical and pressing research issue to quantify and understand the correspondence between Gaussian peaks and ground elevation. This study uses ～2000 km² airborne lidar data to assess the lowest two GLAS Gaussian peaks for terrain elevation estimation over mountainous forest areas in North Carolina. Airborne lidar data were used to extract not only ground elevation, but also terrain and canopy features such as slope and canopy height. Based on the analysis of a total of ～500 GLAS shots, it was found that (1) the lowest peak tends to underestimate ground elevation; terrain steepness (slope) and canopy height have the highest correlation with the underestimation, (2) the second to the lowest peak is, on average, closer to the ground elevation over mountainous forest areas, and (3) the stronger peak among the lowest two is closest to the ground for both open terrain and mountainous forest areas. It is expected that this assessment will shed light on future algorithm improvements and/or better use of the GLAS products for terrain elevation estimation.     

Suitability mapping for rice cultivation in Benue State,Nigeria using satellite data

ABSTRACT

With rising population, decline in soil productivity and land-based conflicts, the per-capita land availability for cultivation is rapidly decreasing within Benue State, a largely agrarian and small-holder setting. This study attempts a local-level support for the actualisation of Sustainable Development Goal Number 2 (“end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture”) by 2030. Using Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) method, remote sensing data from Climate Research Unit (CRU) and in-situ data from Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET) were analyzed by GIS techniques to map the suitability of rice cultivation in the study area, with the integration of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), land cover, slope, temperature, precipitation and soil parameters (cation exchange capacity, pH, bulk density, organic carbon). We apply the various statistical parameters that include mean spatial NDVI; correlation coefficient, standard deviation and Root Mean Square (RMS) between CRU and NIMET data. Spatial regression trend analysis is conducted between CRU precipitation and NDVI and between CRU temperature and NDVI from 1985 to 2015. The results reveal that NDVI in highly suitable rice planting regions is higher than marginally suitable regions except in the months of October and November, which shows that the highly suitable regions will yield better than the marginally suitable regions during the dry season. Additionally, NDVI is seasonally bimodal in response to precipitation, meaning that vegetation vigor is more dependent on precipitation than temperature. Finally, the correlation coefficient, standard deviation and RMS between CRU and NIMET precipitation data shows 0.42, 108, and 110, respectively, while these three factors between CRU and NIMET temperature data shows 0.88, 1.60, and 0.86, respectively. In conclusion, the MCDM approach reveals that upland is more suitable for rice cultivation in Benue State when comparing with the area provided by the Global Land Cover and National Mappings Organization (GLCNMO) data.     

Prevalence of the terrain reversal effect in satellite imagery

The terrain reversal effect is a perceptual phenomenon which causes an illusion in various 3D geographic visualizations where landforms appear inverted, e.g. we perceive valleys as ridges and vice versa. Given that such displays are important for spatio-visual analysis, this illusion can lead to critical mistakes in interpreting the terrain. However, it is currently undocumented how commonly this effect is experienced. In this paper, we study the prevalence of the terrain reversal effect in satellite imagery through a two-stage online user experiment. The experiment was conducted with the participation of a diverse and relatively large population (n = 535). Participants were asked to identify landforms (valley or ridge?) or judge a 3D spatial relationship (is A higher than B?). When the images were rotated by 180°, the results were reversed. In a control task with ‘illusion-free’ original images, people were successful in identifying landforms, yet a very strong illusion occurred when these images were rotated 180°. Our findings demonstrate that the illusion is acutely present; thus, we need a better understanding of the problem and its solutions. Additionally, the results caution us that in an interactive environment where people can rotate the display, we might be introducing a severe perceptual problem.     

Hydromorphogeological mapping of Panwari area,Hamirpur district,Uttar Pradesh using satellite data

The area around Panwari town, Hamirpur district, Uttar Pradesh, faces acute water scarcity and chronically drought prone. The groundwater resources in the area have not been fully exploited. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the groundwater prospective zones. Landsat TM and IRS-1A LISS-II data have been used to differentiate different hydromorphogeological units and to delineate the major trends of lineaments. The digitally enhanced False Colour Composite, Principal Component Analysis and Edge Detections were useful for better correlation. The digital enhancement was helpful with identification of faint lineaments. In addition, the boundaries of various lands forms were better discriminable on the digitally enhanced products. The deeply and moderately weathered buried pediplains are the most potential zones for groundwater targeting. Occurrence of lineaments in such zones is also a favourable indicator. A number of promising groundwater well sites have been located in the pediplains.     

Growing stock estimation through stratified sampling on satellite remote sensing data

Aerial photographs are being extensively used for forest surveys i.e. forest cover type mapping, assessment of growing stock, estimation of area, vegetation studies, etc. Satellite remote sensing technology offers new possibilities and scope for achieving some of the above applications with higher accuracy and reliability. The assessment of growing stock through subjective stratification has also become possible with increase in spatial and spectral resolution. In the present study, the LANDSAT TM FCC (1966) has been visually interpreted on the basis of tonal characteristics. Stratified random sampling method has then used for determination of number of sample units for collection of ground Inventory data. Using regression equations, the volume per hectare of individual forest cover types were calculated. Satellite remote sensing data has been used for initial stratification, distribution of sample plots and calculation of area under various forest cover types. Estimate has been made for available commecial and non-commercial growing stocks in the study area.     

测绘卫星的姿态控制技术

通过分析测绘卫星的姿态控制要求, 研究了卫星姿态控制所涉及的主要误差源, 提出了相应的解决措施, 针对测绘卫星的需求进行了姿态控制系统方案设计。     

European forest cover mapping with high resolution satellite data: The Carpathians case study

The aim of the study was to elaborate a methodology for forest mapping based on high resolution satellite data, relevant for reporting on forest cover and spatial pattern changes in Europe. The Carpathians were selected as a case study area and mapped using 24 Landsat scenes, processed independently with a supervised approach combining image segmentation, knowledge-based rules to extract a training set and the maximum likelihood decision rule. Validation was done with available very high resolution imagery. Overall accuracies per scene ranged from 93 to 96%. The labelling disagreement in overlapping areas of adjacent scenes was 6.8% on average.     

Accuracy assessment in cotton acreage estimation using Indian remote sensing satellite data

The accuracy of cotton crop classification using satellite data has been assessed with respect to a detailed land cover map prepared by field survey. The effect of spatial resolution on classification accuracy was studied using LISS-I (spatial resolution 72.6 m) and LISS-II data (spatial resolution 36.25 m) of the Indian remote sensing satellite IRS-1B. The performances of the maximum likelihood and the minimum distance to mean as classifiers have also been assessed. LISS-II data have been found to give a higher classification accuracy. The estimate of cotton acreage using LISS-II data was closer to that obtained from the base map. The maximum likelihood classifier (MXL) and the minimum distance to mean (MDM) classifier performed equally well.     

机载合成孔径雷达技术在地形测绘中的应用及其进展

合成孔径雷达(SAR)技术由于其全天候、全天时的工作能力,成为近几年来摄影测量与遥感领域的研究热点。机载SAR系统的逐渐增多为SAR技术的发展提供了丰富的数据源。本文综述了近两年来国内外机载合成孔径雷达(AIRSAR)技术在地形测绘中的研究、试验和应用进展,评述了机载合成孔径雷达关键技术的解决途径,展望了机载合成孔径雷达技术在地形测绘和其他领域中的应用前景。