Fuel type mapping using object-based image analysis of DMC and Landsat-8 OLI imagery

Efficient forest fire management requires precise and up-to-date knowledge regarding the composition and spatial distribution of forest fuels at various spatial and temporal scales. Fuel-type maps are essential for effective fire prevention strategies planning, as well as the alleviation of the environmental impacts of potential wildfire events. The aim of this study was to assess and compare the potential of Disaster Monitoring Constellation and Landsat-8 OLI satellite images (Operational Land Imager), combined with Object-Based Image Analysis (GEOBIA), in operational mapping of the Mediterranean fuel types at a regional scale. The results showcase that although the images of both sensors can be used with GEOBIA analysis for the generation of accurate fuel-type maps, only the OLI images can be considered as applicable for regional mapping of the Mediterranean fuel types on an operational basis.     

Geographic Object-Based Image Analysis – Towards a new paradigm

The amount of scientific literature on (Geographic) Object-based Image Analysis – GEOBIA has been and still is sharply increasing. These approaches to analysing imagery have antecedents in earlier research on image segmentation and use GIS-like spatial analysis within classification and feature extraction approaches. This article investigates these development and its implications and asks whether or not this is a new paradigm in remote sensing and Geographic Information Science (GIScience). We first discuss several limitations of prevailing per-pixel methods when applied to high resolution images. Then we explore the paradigm concept developed by Kuhn (1962) and discuss whether GEOBIA can be regarded as a paradigm according to this definition. We crystallize core concepts of GEOBIA, including the role of objects, of ontologies and the multiplicity of scales and we discuss how these conceptual developments support important methods in remote sensing such as change detection and accuracy assessment. The ramifications of the different theoretical foundations between the ‘per-pixel paradigm’ and GEOBIA are analysed, as are some of the challenges along this path from pixels, to objects, to geo-intelligence. Based on several paradigm indications as defined by Kuhn and based on an analysis of peer-reviewed scientific literature we conclude that GEOBIA is a new and evolving paradigm.     

基于随机森林的地理要素面向对象自动解译方法

面向地理对象影像分析(GEOBIA)技术取得了显著的进展,代表了遥感影像解译的发展范式,其主要目标是发展智能化分析方法。随机森林机器学习方法是一种相对新的、数据驱动的非参数分类方法,具有自动特征优选、自动模型构建等优势,为智能化分析提供了有效手段。充分利用GEOBIA及随机森林机器学习的优势,提出了基于随机森林的地理要素面向对象自动解译方法,阐述了随机森林面向对象分类方法的技术流程,为设计和实现该方法提供了详细指导,有助于指导用户优选特征和构建分类模型。通过与支持向量机分类的对比实验证明,该方法可以自动进行特征优选及分类模型的构建,利用较少的特征得到较高的分类精度,在不损失性能的前提下减少了计算量和内存使用,能够为大范围、大区域地理要素自动解译提供先验知识及自动化的手段。     

Object-based image analysis supported by data mining to discriminate large areas of soybean

This research aimed to analyze the possibility to estimate and automatically map large areas of soybean cultivation through the use of MODIS (Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) images. Two major techniques were used: GEOgraphic-Object-Based Image Analysis (GEOBIA) and Data Mining (DM). In order to obtain the images, the segmentation algorithm implemented by Definiens Developer was used. A decision tree (DT) was created from a training set previously prepared. Time-series of images from the MODIS sensor aboard the Terra satellite were acquired in order to represent the wide variation of the vegetation pattern along the soybean crop cycle. The time-series data were used only for the CEI index. Furthermore, to compare the results obtained from GEOBIA, the slicing technique was used at the CEI level. After the training, the DT was applied to the vegetation indices generating the thematic map of the spatial distribution of soybean. In accordance with the error matrix and kappa parameter analysis, tests for statistical significance were created. Results indicate that the classification achieved by Kappa coefficients is 0.76. In short, the obtained results proved that combining vegetation indices and time-series data using GEOBIA return promising results for mapping soybean plantation on a regional scale.     

A systematic comparison of different object-based classification techniques using high spatial resolution imagery in agricultural environments

Geographic Object-Based Image Analysis (GEOBIA) is becoming more prevalent in remote sensing classification, especially for high-resolution imagery. Many supervised classification approaches are applied to objects rather than pixels, and several studies have been conducted to evaluate the performance of such supervised classification techniques in GEOBIA. However, these studies did not systematically investigate all relevant factors affecting the classification (segmentation scale, training set size, feature selection and mixed objects). In this study, statistical methods and visual inspection were used to compare these factors systematically in two agricultural case studies in China. The results indicate that Random Forest (RF) and Support Vector Machines (SVM) are highly suitable for GEOBIA classifications in agricultural areas and confirm the expected general tendency, namely that the overall accuracies decline with increasing segmentation scale. All other investigated methods except for RF and SVM are more prone to obtain a lower accuracy due to the broken objects at fine scales. In contrast to some previous studies, the RF classifiers yielded the best results and the k-nearest neighbor classifier were the worst results, in most cases. Likewise, the RF and Decision Tree classifiers are the most robust with or without feature selection. The results of training sample analyses indicated that the RF and adaboost. M1 possess a superior generalization capability, except when dealing with small training sample sizes. Furthermore, the classification accuracies were directly related to the homogeneity/heterogeneity of the segmented objects for all classifiers. Finally, it was suggested that RF should be considered in most cases for agricultural mapping.     

Area-based and location-based validation of classified image objects

Geographic object-based image analysis (GEOBIA) produces results that have both thematic and geometric properties. Classified objects not only belong to particular classes but also have spatial properties such as location and shape. Therefore, any accuracy assessment where quantification of area is required must (but often does not) take into account both thematic and geometric properties of the classified objects. By using location-based and area-based measures to compare classified objects to corresponding reference objects, accuracy information for both thematic and geometric assessment is available. Our methods provide location-based and area-based measures with application to both a single-class feature detection and a multi-class object-based land cover analysis. In each case the classification was compared to a GIS layer of associated reference data using randomly selected sample areas. Error is able to be pin-pointed spatially on per-object, per class and per-sample area bases although there is no indication whether the errors exist in the classification product or the reference data. This work showcases the utility of the methods for assessing the accuracy of GEOBIA derived classifications provided the reference data is accurate and of comparable scale.     

Validating the use of object-based image analysis to map commonly recognized landform features in the United States

ABSTRACT

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Geospatial Program (NGP) seeks to i) create semantically accessible terrain features from the pixel-based 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) data, and ii) enhance the usability of the USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) by associating boundaries with GNIS features whose spatial representation is currently limited to 2D point locations. Geographic object-based image analysis (GEOBIA) was determined to be a promising method to approach both goals. An existing GEOBIA workflow was modified and the resulting segmented objects and terrain categories tested for a strategically chosen physiographic province in the mid-western US, the Ozark Plateaus. The chi-squared test of independence confirmed that there is significant overall spatial association between terrain categories of the GEOBIA and GNIS feature classes. Contingency table analysis also suggests strong category-specific associations between select GNIS and GEOBIA classes. However, 3D visual analysis revealed that GEOBIA objects resembled segmented regions more than they did individual landform objects, with their boundaries often failing to correspond to match what people would likely perceive as landforms. Still, objects derived through GEOBIA can provide initial baseline landscape divisions that can improve the efficiency of more specialized feature extraction methods.     

地理本体驱动的遥感影像面向对象分析方法

针对遥感影像面向对象分析技术存在的“分类过程中专家分析不同带来的分类结果不一致”问题,提出地理本体驱动的“地理实体描述-模型构建-影像对象分类”解译框架。首先,利用地理本体建立影像对象客观特征与地理专家知识的联系,实现对地理实体的描述与表达;其次,利用知识工程方法以及计算机可操作的形式化本体语言构建影像对象特征、分类器的本体模型,形成语义网络模型;最后,联合语义网络模型与专家规则实现影像对象的语义分类。地表覆盖分类实验结果表明,该方法不仅能够得到反映真实地理对象的遥感影像分类结果,而且能够掌握地理实体的语义信息,实现地表覆盖分类知识的共享与语义网络模型的复用,为遥感影像面向对象分析提供了一种全局性的解译分析框架及其方法。     

The parallel sum of matrices and its application in geodetic adjustments

Summary . It is well known that for the comparison and combination of geodetic networks their heterogeneous datum definitions are well to be considered. Various algorithms have been developed for this purpose. As an alternative concept to deal with hybrid datum problems, the operator parallel sum of matrices is introduced in this paper. To begin with, a definition is given and some basic properties are explained. To demonstrate the usefulness of the operator, two practical applications are given. The first deals with the estimation of parameters describing the deformation of two networks which are to be compared to each other. The second one treats the estimation of parameters representing the heterogeneous datum definitions of two networks which are to be merged into a hybrid network. It will be shown that – regardless of the datum definitions of the preadjusted individual networks – the parallel sum of matrices can be used to simplify the algorithms applied for the estimation of those parameters. Received 15 December 1995; Accepted 24 September 1996     

An intelligent geospatial processing unit for image classification based on geographic vector agents (GVAs)

Spatial modeling methods usually use pixels and image objects as fundamental processing units to address real‐world objects, geo‐objects, in image space. To do this, both pixel‐based and object‐based approaches typically employ a linear two‐staged workflow of segmentation and classification. Pixel‐based methods segment a classified image to address geo‐objects in image space. In contrast, object‐based approaches classify a segmented image to identify geo‐objects from raster datasets. These methods lack the ability to simultaneously integrate the geometry and theme of geo‐objects in image space. This article explores Geographical Vector Agents (GVAs) as an automated and intelligent processing unit to directly address real‐world objects in the process of remote sensing image classification. The GVA is a distinct type of geographic automata characterized by elastic geometry, dynamic internal structure, neighborhoods and their respective rules. We test this concept by modeling a set of objects on a subset IKONOS image and LiDAR DSM datasets without the setting parameters (e.g. scale, shape information), usually applied in conventional Geographic Object‐Based Image Analysis (GEOBIA) approaches. The results show that the GVA approach achieves more than 3.5% improvement for correctness, 2% improvement for quality, although no significant improvement for completeness to GEOBIA, thus demonstrating the competitive performance of GVAs classification.     

简单面目标与带孔洞面目标间拓扑关系的层次表达方法

带孔洞的面目标是现实中较为常见的一类复杂目标,它们之间的拓扑关系要比简单面目标复杂得多.本文基于空间划分和目标分解的思想,利用点集(拓扑学)理论中的邻域概念详细分析和描述带孔洞面目标的点集拓扑分量,这种描述方法实质上是简单面目标点集拓扑分量描述的一种自然延展.进而,对简单面目标间拓扑关系的描述和区分方法进行了扩展,层次地分析和区分简单面目标与带孔洞面目标间的拓扑关系.相比于Egenhofer等人提出的代数描述和间接表达方法,本文提出的方法是一种直接描述和层次表达的方法,并且与简单面目标间拓扑关系的表达方法是相统一的.     

模拟与虚拟地图符号及地理虚拟空间的数学定义

根据从制图区域到主体认知结构，从主体认知结构到二维平面之间存在映射的关系，给出了模拟地图符号和虚拟地图符号的定义，探讨了其演化规律，并给出了规划和预测地图的数学模型以及地理虚拟空间的数学定义。     

Object based image analysis for remote sensing

Remote sensing imagery needs to be converted into tangible information which can be utilised in conjunction with other data sets, often within widely used Geographic Information Systems (GIS). As long as pixel sizes remained typically coarser than, or at the best, similar in size to the objects of interest, emphasis was placed on per-pixel analysis, or even sub-pixel analysis for this conversion, but with increasing spatial resolutions alternative paths have been followed, aimed at deriving objects that are made up of several pixels. This paper gives an overview of the development of object based methods, which aim to delineate readily usable objects from imagery while at the same time combining image processing and GIS functionalities in order to utilize spectral and contextual information in an integrative way. The most common approach used for building objects is image segmentation, which dates back to the 1970s. Around the year 2000 GIS and image processing started to grow together rapidly through object based image analysis (OBIA - or GEOBIA for geospatial object based image analysis). In contrast to typical Landsat resolutions, high resolution images support several scales within their images. Through a comprehensive literature review several thousand abstracts have been screened, and more than 820 OBIA-related articles comprising 145 journal papers, 84 book chapters and nearly 600 conference papers, are analysed in detail. It becomes evident that the first years of the OBIA/GEOBIA developments were characterised by the dominance of ‘grey’ literature, but that the number of peer-reviewed journal articles has increased sharply over the last four to five years. The pixel paradigm is beginning to show cracks and the OBIA methods are making considerable progress towards a spatially explicit information extraction workflow, such as is required for spatial planning as well as for many monitoring programmes.     

无人机高分辨率影像的森林株数密度制图

本文以大兴安岭无人机遥感数据为基础进行森林密度制图,并提出了一种局部阈值算法,通过与传统的Otsu方法去除背景噪声相比,得出了该方法在中等或较低森林株数密度地区能很好地去除噪声背景。结合局部最大值法取得很好的单木提取精度,其查全率达到了100%。传统的Otsu去除背景方法在较高森林株数密度地区具有较好的识别效果,但对非林分的空地信息存在错提取的现象。通过对以上两种方法的对比研究,得到大兴安岭森林株数密度制图结果,该研究可为稀疏森林区域的株数密度制图提供参考。     

Capturing ephemeral forest dynamics with hybrid time-series and composite mapping in the Republic of Panama

Measuring and progressing toward international goals of curbing deforestation and improving livelihoods of people who depend on forests requires nuanced understanding of forests and the processes surrounding deforestation and degradation. Despite rapid improvements in Earth Observation technology, monitoring of tropical forests remains hindered by persistent cloud cover, heterogeneous landscapes, long wet seasons, and small and ephemeral clearings masked by rapid growth. A hybrid method is presented that combines elements of both time-series and compositing approaches to best overcome these obstacles to map forest cover and change in the Republic of Panama based on Landsat imagery. The resulting Panama Vegetation-Cover Time-Series (PVCTS) maps depict forest cover in Panama from 1990 to 2016 at 30 m resolution. Acknowledging the fuzzy boundary between forest and non-forest classes, these maps employ a hierarchical classification scheme that reflects the natural process of regeneration and can accommodate different definitions of forest and deforestation. Classification accuracy is 97–98 % between forest/non-forest categories and 76–81 % for deforestation events. The maps show a slight greening of Panama from 1990 to 2016 caused by expansion of young secondary growth. The annual rate of deforestation in mature forest has remained around -0.6 %/yr, although young forests have matured at a similar rate such that there is no net loss of forest. While estimates of total forest cover are similar to official national estimates depending on forest definition, there is little agreement in location of deforestation events.     

基于TM影像的北京城乡结合部土地利用变化分析

利用遥感分类技术能够快速获取土地利用变化信息。基于1996年和2006年两时相的北京城乡结合部地区TM卫星影像数据,采用监督分类和分类后处理方法,对研究区10年间的土地利用变化情况进行了详细分析,得到如下结论:10年间北京城南地区城乡结合部的各种土地利用类型之间相互转化,并以耕地,林地和建设用地相互转化最为显著;耕地和大范围水域面积较大幅度减少,城市居民点及工矿用地和未利用土地面积大幅度地增加,城乡结合部的范围在10年间从北向南进行了大范围地移动。     

Red-edge vegetation indices for detecting and assessing disturbances in Norway spruce dominated mountain forests

Here we propose an approach to enhance the detection and assessment of forest disturbances in mountain areas based on red-edge reflectance. The research addresses the need for improved monitoring of areas included in the European Natura 2000 network. Thirty-eight vegetation indices (VI) are assessed for sensitivity to topographic variations. A separability analysis is performed for the resulting set of ten VI whereby two VI (PSSRc2, SR 800/550) are found most suitable for threshold-based OBIA classification. With a correlation analysis (SRCC) between VI and the training samples we identify Datt4 as suitable to represent the magnitude of forest disturbance. The provided information layers illustrate two combined phenomena that were derived by (1) an OBIA delineation and (2) continuous representation of the magnitude of forest disturbance. The satisfactory accuracy assessment results confirm that the approach is useful for operational tasks in the long-term monitoring of Norway spruce dominated forests in mountainous areas, with regard to forest disturbance.     

Towards long-multitemporal change detection using SVI differencing by integrated DWT–ISOCLUS: a model for forest temporal dynamics mapping

Abstract

Characterisation and mapping of land cover/land use within forest areas over long-multitemporal intervals is a complex task. This complexity is mainly due to the location and extent of such areas and, as a consequence, to the lack of full continuous cloud-free coverage of those large regions by one single remote sensing instrument. In order to provide improved long-multitemporal forest change detection using Landsat MSS and ETM + in part of Mt. Kenya rainforest, and to develop a model for forest change monitoring, wavelet transforms analysis was tested against the ISOCLUS algorithm for the derivation of changes in natural forest cover, as determined using four simple ratio-based Vegetation Indices: Simple Ratio (SR), Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Renormalised Difference Vegetation Index (RDVI) and modified simple ratio (MSR). Based on statistical and empirical accuracy assessments, RDVI presented the optimal index for the case study. The overall accuracy statistic of the wavelet derived change/no-change was used to rank the performances of the indices as: RDVI (91.68%), MSR (82.55%), NDVI (79.73%) and SR (65.34%). The integrated discrete wavelet transform–ISOCLUS (DWT–ISOCLUS) result was 42.65% higher than the independent ISOCLUS approach in mapping the change/no-change information. The methodology suggested in this study presents a cost-effective and practical method to detect land-cover changes in support of decision-making for updating forest databases, and for long-term monitoring of vegetation changes from multisensor imagery. The current research contributes to Digital Earth with regards to geo-data acquisition, data mining and representation of one forest systems.     

Agricultural cropland mapping using black-and-white aerial photography,Object-Based Image Analysis and Random Forests

Land-use and land-cover (LULC) conversions have an important impact on land degradation, erosion and water availability. Information on historical land cover (change) is crucial for studying and modelling land- and ecosystem degradation. During the past decades major LULC conversions occurred in Africa, Southeast Asia and South America as a consequence of a growing population and economy. Most distinct is the conversion of natural vegetation into cropland. Historical LULC information can be derived from satellite imagery, but these only date back until approximately 1972. Before the emergence of satellite imagery, landscapes were monitored by black-and-white (B&W) aerial photography. This photography is often visually interpreted, which is a very time-consuming approach. This study presents an innovative, semi-automated method to map cropland acreage from B&W photography. Cropland acreage was mapped on two study sites in Ethiopia and in The Netherlands. For this purpose we used Geographic Object-Based Image Analysis (GEOBIA) and a Random Forest classification on a set of variables comprising texture, shape, slope, neighbour and spectral information. Overall mapping accuracies attained are 90% and 96% for the two study areas respectively. This mapping method increases the timeline at which historical cropland expansion can be mapped purely from brightness information in B&W photography up to the 1930s, which is beneficial for regions where historical land-use statistics are mostly absent.     

冠层特征尺度的定量计算模型与方法

冠层特征尺度是植被定量遥感的基础概念,其物理定义和数学定量表达具有重要的研究意义。首先,基于光学辐射传输角度提出的冠层特征尺度的物理定义,即水平维线性混合条件下的最小分辨率单元,建立了冠层特征尺度的数学计算模型,并引入倒置的地统计学指数模型。然后,提出了基于局部方差分析的冠层特征尺度计算方法。最后,利用森林区域高分辨率图像,对论文提出的冠层特征尺度模型进行了定量验证。结果表明,冠层特征尺度模型计算的冠层特征尺度与树林株行距存在密切联系,线性复相关系数达0.95,证明了本文方法的合理性和可行性。本文提出的冠层特征尺度模型为地表特征尺度定量计算提供了一种新方法。