Spectral reflectance characteristics of soils and its correlation with soil properties and surface conditions

In-situ spectral reflectance of soils was measured at various test sites of India in four spectral bands within the visible and near-infrared wavelength comparable to Landsat Multispectral Scanner (MSS). Reflectance behaviour of soils under different field conditions was analysed and the spectral reflectance curves for different soil types were obtained. Soil samples pertaining to each test site were analysed for mechanical composition, physioco-chemical properties to identify their relationship with soil reflectance. These spectral reflectance curves were further examined as to their usefulness in discriminating various soil types. Five distinct soil types namely, Black cotton soils (Typic Pellusterts), Marine Soils (Typic Halaquepts), Lateritic Soils (Plinthic Tropohumults), Alluvial Soils (Typic Ustochrepts), Coastal Sandy Soils (Typic Psammaquents), were discriminated on the basis of significant relationships between the spectral reflectance data and soil properties.     

Automatic detection of near surface geological and hydrological features and investigating their influence on groundwater accumulation and salinity in southwest Egypt using remote sensing and GIS

This study employs two automated algorithms, the topographic fabric and the deterministic eight-node (D8), to reveal near surface geological fractures and their associated paleodrainages network from a 90?m DEM of the Shuttle Topographic Radar Mission sensor. The topographic fabric algorithm, which calculates the slope and aspect which define a vector normal to the earth’s surface and then compute direction cosines of normal vector at each point, was used to auto-detect fault zones. The deterministic eight-node (D8) algorithm, which determines in which neighbouring pixel any water in a central pixel will flow naturally, was used to delineate paleodrainages concealed beneath sand sheets. Seven sets of geological structures were recognized. Their major trends were found to be in the S46°W, S58°W, S81°W, N107°W, N–S, E–W and N152°W and share similar trends of the revealed paleodrainages. The results suggest a strong spatial relationship between the features extracted from DEM and groundwater potential.     

Spatially Explicit Estimation of Leaf Area Index Using EO-1 Hyperion and Landsat ETM+ Data: Implications of Spectral Bandwidth and Shortwave Infrared Data on Prediction Accuracy in a Tropical Montane Environment

This study evaluated the utility of narrowband (EO-1 Hyperion) and broadband (Landsat ETM+) remote sensing data for the estimation of leaf area index (LAI) in a tropical environment in Sulawesi, Indonesia. LAI was inferred from canopy gap fraction measurements taken in natural tropical forest and cocoa plantations. Single and multiple spectral bands and spectral indices were used as predictor variables in reduced major axis (RMA) and ordinary least squares (OLS) regression models. The predictive power of most regression models was notably higher when employing narrowband data instead of broadband data. Highly significant relationships between LAI and spectral reflectance were observed near the red-edge region and in most shortwave infrared (SWIR) bands. In contrast to most near-infrared (NIR) narrow bands, the correlation between SWIR reflectance and LAI was not confounded when including both vegetation types and did not suffer from saturation. The results demonstrate that leaf area index of a challenging tropical environment can be estimated with satisfactory accuracy from hyperspectral remote sensing data.     

ASTER GDEM垂直精度评价及其在重力地形改正中的适用性

通过构建ASTER GDEM(advanced spaceborne thermal emission and reflection radiometer global digital elevation model)高程误差与影响因子间的关系模型,可对其高程精度进行有效校正。选取陕北黄土高原境内长武、宜君、甘泉、延川4个不同地貌类型的样区,以1∶5万DEM (digital elevation model)作为参考数据,经过数据预处理后,计算各点位高程误差值及相关地形因子和地表覆盖指数; 提取一定数量的采样点和检验点,引入随机森林回归算法,建立高程误差预测模型,以对高程精度进行校正,并与多元回归模型进行比较分析。实验结果表明,ASTER GDEM的高程误差特征与地形条件有较强的相关性; 随机森林回归预测模型整体上优于多元回归模型,具有较好的适用性与误差校正效果,可分别将长武、宜君、甘泉、延川的高程误差均值减小3.08 m、3.00 m、3.61 m和6.95 m。