A time-integrated MODIS burn severity assessment using the multi-temporal differenced normalized burn ratio (dNBRMT)

Burn severity is an important parameter in post-fire management. It incorporates both the direct fire impact (vegetation depletion) and ecosystem responses (vegetation regeneration). From a remote sensing perspective, burn severity is traditionally estimated using Landsat's differenced normalized burn ratio (dNBR). In this case study of the large 2007 Peloponnese (Greece) wildfires, Landsat dNBR estimates correlated reasonably well with Geo composite burn index (GeoCBI) field data of severity (R² = 0.56). The usage of Landsat imagery is, however, restricted by cloud cover and image-to-image normalization constraints. Therefore a multi-temporal burn severity approach based on coarse spatial, high temporal resolution moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) imagery is presented in this study. The multi-temporal dNBR (dNBR_MT) is defined as the 1-year integrated difference between burned pixels and their unique control pixels. These control pixels were selected based on time series similarity and spatial context and reflect how burned pixels would have behaved in the case no fire had occurred. Linear regression between downsampled Landsat dNBR and dNBR_MT estimates resulted in a moderate-high coefficient of determination R² = 0.54. dNBR_MT estimates are indicative for the change in vegetation productivity due to the fire. This change is considerably higher for forests than for more sparsely vegetated areas like shrub lands. Although Landsat dNBR is superior for spatial detail, MODIS-derived dNBR_MT estimates present a valuable alternative for burn severity mapping at continental to global scale without image availability constraints. This is beneficial to compare trends in burn severity across regions and time. Moreover, thanks to MODIS's repeated temporal sampling, the dNBR_MT accounts for both first- and second-order fire effects.     

归一化转动惯量特征的遥感影像检索

针对传统遥感影像检索方法大多存在精度不高、效率低下等不足的问题,该文提出了一种基于归一化转动惯性特征的遥感影像检索算法。该算法对经过脉冲耦合神经网络处理的二值影像序列进行计算,提取影像序列的归一化转动惯量特征;同时,利用马氏距离结合Pearson积矩相关法来度量各特征矢量之间的相似性,提高检索结果的正确率。实验结果证明,该算法有效地兼顾了影像的内容结构信息,不仅可以快速地进行检索计算,还能提高检索精度。     

林火烈度遥感评估指数适应性分析

科学合理地定量评估林火烈度,对揭示林火干扰下森林生态系统的变化,以及植被的恢复与管理具有重要意义。以美国科罗拉多大峡谷国家公园北缘的Poplar Fire为实验区,利用Landsat5 TM影像,结合实地调查的综合火烧指数(composite burn index,CBI),分析评价了归一化差值植被指数(normalized difference vegetation index,NDVI),归一化火烧指数(normalized burn ration,NBR),差分归一化植被指数(differenced normalized difference vegetation index,ΔNDVI)和差分归一化火烧指数(differenced normalized burn ration,ΔNBR)4种遥感指数对林火烈度评估的适应性。结果表明,4种遥感指数对识别不同等级林火烈度存在一定的差异。在未过火区和轻度火灾区,单一遥感指数的精度略高于差分遥感指数,其中NBR的提取精度最高,分别达到了66.7%和80%;在中度火灾区和重度火灾区,差分遥感指数的精度高于单一遥感指数,ΔNBR的提取精度最高,分别达到了100%和90%。总体上,基于差分遥感指数的林火烈度制图精度总体高于单一遥感指数,其中ΔNBR的总体制图精度最高,达到了86.2%。因此,ΔNBR是林火烈度分析与评估的适宜遥感指数。     

RNDSI: A ratio normalized difference soil index for remote sensing of urban/suburban environments

Understanding land use land cover change (LULCC) is a prerequisite for urban planning and environment management. For LULCC studies in urban/suburban environments, the abundance and spatial distributions of bare soil are essential due to its biophysically different properties when compared to anthropologic materials. Soil, however, is very difficult to be identified using remote sensing technologies majorly due to its complex physical and chemical compositions, as well as the lack of a direct relationship between soil abundance and its spectral signatures. This paper presents an empirical approach to enhance soil information through developing the ratio normalized difference soil index (RNDSI). The first step involves the generation of random samples of three major land cover types, namely soil, impervious surface areas (ISAs), and vegetation. With spectral signatures of these samples, a normalized difference soil index (NDSI) was proposed using the combination of bands 7 and 2 of Landsat Thematic Mapper Image. Finally, a ratio index was developed to further highlight soil covers through dividing the NDSI by the first component of tasseled cap transformation (TC1). Qualitative (e.g., frequency histogram and box charts) and quantitative analyses (e.g., spectral discrimination index and classification accuracy) were adopted to examine the performance of the developed RNDSI. Analyses of results and comparative analyses with two other relevant indices, biophysical composition index (BCI) and enhanced built-up and bareness Index (EBBI), indicate that RNDSI is promising in separating soil from ISAs and vegetation, and can serve as an input to LULCC models.     

Illumination effects on the differenced Normalized Burn Ratio's optimality for assessing fire severity

The influence of illumination effects on the optimality of the dNBR (differenced Normalized Burn Ratio) was evaluated for the case of the 2007 Peloponnese (Greece) wildfires using a pre/post-fire Landsat TM (Thematic Mapper) image couple. Well-illuminated pixels (south and south-east facing slopes) exhibited more optimal displacements in the bi-spectral feature space than more shaded pixels (north and north-west exposed slopes). Moreover, pixels experiencing a small image-to-image difference in illumination obtained a higher optimality than pixels with a relatively large difference in illumination. To correct for illumination effects, the c-correction method and a modified c-correction technique were applied. The resulting median dNBR optimality of uncorrected, c-corrected and modified c-correction data was respectively 0.58, 0.60 and 0.71 (differences significant for p < 0.001). The original c-correction method improved the optimality of badly illuminated pixels while deteriorating the optimality of well-illuminated pixels. In contrast, the modified c-correction technique improved the optimality of all the pixels while retaining the prime characteristic of topographic correction techniques, i.e. detrending the illumination–reflectance relationship. For a minority of the data, for shaded pixels and/or pixels with a high image-to-image difference in illumination, the original c-correction outperformed the modified c-correction technique. In this study conducted in rugged terrain and with a bi-temporal image acquisition scheme that deviated up to two months from the ideal anniversary date scheme the modified c-correction technique resulted in a more reliable change detection.     

基于归一化指数分析的居民地遥感信息提取

以无锡市作为研究区域,采用2000年Landsat ETM+影像数据,通过对居民地的遥感机理分析,利用植被指数、水体指数、城镇指数相结合的方法提取居民地信息。分析遥感影像的谱间结构特征,通过试验,建立二值逻辑运算式,得到居民地遥感信息提取结果。并用该方法在不同时相不同地区的Landsat TM/ETM+影像上进行了进一步的验证。研究结果表明:该方法可以将居民地信息提取出来,并且效果较好。     

Remote sensing and geoinformation center of Mongolia: A brief outlook

Abstract

A GIS based approach is proposed for the integration of three thematic maps viz. geomorphology, drainage density and slope using fuzzy logic for the assessment of ground water resource potential of a soft rock terrain of Midnapur District, West Bengal, India. The geomorphology and drainage density maps of the area are prepared from IRS‐1B LISS‐II data, and the slope map is obtained from the contours depicted on the topographic map of Survey of India. Each feature of all the thematic maps is assigned with individual fuzzy set values within a range between 0 to 1 according to their relative importance in the prediction of ground water occurrence. The maps are then integrated through fuzzy operation to model the ground water potential zone of the study area. The evolved model while verified with surface geophysical results is found to be in good agreement.     

利用GPS反射信号遥感全球海态

最近几年，迅速发展一种新的空基海洋遥感技术。它在低轨卫星上接收经海面或地面反射的GPS信号，通过分析C／A或P码的相关函数波形及其后沿，荻得全球海面平均高度、浪高、海面风场以及土壤湿度等，提供海洋中尺度涡旋发展、演变信息，监测和分析高纬地区冰层厚度。它采用无源探测方法，具有成本低、荻取数据量多和快速等突出特点，是传统卫星高度计探测的重要补充和发展。该文讨论了这项技术发展现状、反射信号的时间延迟以及海态参数计算等关键技术；也给出作者利用掩星观测资料分析得到的海面反射回波一些重要结果。     

城市建设用地遥感信息提取方法研究

本文利用CBERS-02B影像,通过分析各个地类的光谱特征,发现了长沙市城市建设用地和其他背景地物的区别,并在此基础上选取了土壤调节植被指数(SAVI)、归一化水体指数(NDWI)和比值居民地指数(RRI)作为三个指数波段,重新进行波段组合,从而减少了波段数据的冗余,最后采用最大似然法分类,提取出城市建设用地信息,其正确率达到85.6%。     

南通市热岛效应的遥感分析

本文以3个时期的TM/ETM+图像为数据源,反演了南通市1995-2008年的地表温度,利用均值-标准差法对城市热场进行了分级,阐述了南通市热岛效应空间分布格局、时空演变特征,定量分析了地表温度与土地利用、植被覆盖率的关系,揭示了南通市城市热岛效应演变的原因.结果表明,随着城市化进程的加快,南通市城市热岛区域扩张明显,增加了11.96％,且呈现逐渐向东南方向扩张的趋势,除以濠河为中心的老城区继续保留其热岛特征外,在新城区和经济开发区出现了多个热岛区域,植被覆盖率与温度高低存在着较高的负相关性.     

Remote sensing for integrated survey of urban environment

Journal of the Indian Society of Remote Sensing -     

Remote perceiving: A step toward a unified science of remote sensing

In a previous article (Hoffman & Conway, 1989), we reviewed some of the available psychological research that pertains to remote sensing. We focused on two major problem areas: Research on the knowledge of expert interpreters of remotely‐sensed imagery, and research on the use of color in graphic displays. Here, we pursue one of the broad implications of the research ‐ that the field of remote sensing can benefit by incorporating research methods and ideas from experimental psychology. From the experimental psychology viewpoint, “remote sensing”; is actually a misnomer when used to denote a field or area of scientific inquiry. Remote perceiving, as a total process, depends not only on the technology of remote sensing, but also depends critically on the ability of humans to interpret remote sensing displays. This perspective is contrasted with traditional approaches to remote sensing. The discussion involves some ideas about the theoretical and methodological foundations of remote sensing as a unified science.     

Remote sensing for change detection in the Sunderbands,Bangladesh

Abstract

Change detection study has been made for the mangrove forest of the Sunderbans (Bangladesh) using remote sensing and other ancillary data (1933–1987). At the advent of the British rule the forest was double their present extent. Its present area is about 6000.0 Sq. Km. The productive land area has been increased from 1960. Gewa (Excoecaria agallocha)‐Sundri (Heritiera fames) cover type areas have been increased at the expense of pure Sundri type. Height classes of the forest have been changed, basal area/ha has decreased. It is observed that there is a net decrease in Sundri standing volume of the order of 40% and that of Gewa 45% over the past 25 years (1960–1985). Total timber volume for all of the species has been reduced to near about a half. Timber volume/ha and basal area/ha for Gewa have increased in the Sharankhola Island of the forest. Sundri tress are being replaced by Gewa. CIR aerial photographs have been found most suitable for cover type analysis and other change detection study. Regular monitoring of the changes of the forest using remote sensing technique has been suggested.