Corn Area Extraction by the Integration of MODIS-EVI Time Series Data and China’s Environment Satellite (HJ-1) Data

In this paper, we intent to use the remotely sensed MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data and China’s Environment Satellite (HJ-1) data for extracting the corn cultivated area over a regional scale. The high resolution HJ-1 data was to extract corn distribution at a small scale class with Support Vector Machine (SVM). The mean Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) time series curve of corn from MODIS was derived for the reference area and validated in a larger area. The MODIS-EVI time series curve derived from the reference area instead of the MODIS-EVI time series curve derived from the study area after validation, which was taken as the standard MODIS-EVI time series curve in for generating a standard MODIS-EVI image of corn. The mean absolute distance (MAD) between the standard MODIS-EVI image of corn and the MODIS-EVI time series image was used to detect the maximum possible extent of corn distribution in the study area. The results showed that the overall accuracy of the method was 82.17 %, with commission and omission errors of 16.85 and 15.40 %, respectively; at the county level, the satellite-estimated corn area and statistical data were well correlated (R ²?=?0.85, N?=?50) for the whole Jilin Province. It indicated that the MODIS data integrated with higher spatial resolution of HJ-1 satellite data could be utilized to enhance the extraction accuracy of corn cultivated area at a larger scale.     

System structure and calibration models of intelligent photogrammetron

This paper describes the structure, geometric model and geometric calibration of Photogrammetron I—the first type of photogrammetron which is designed to be a coherent stereo photogrammetric system in which two cameras are mounted on a physical base but driven by an intelligent agent architecture. The system calibration is divided into two parts: the in-lab calibration determines the fixed parameters in advance of system operation, and the in-situ calibration keeps tracking the free parameters in real-time during the system operation. In a video surveillance set-up, prepared control points are tracked in stereo image sequences, so that the free parameters of the system can be continuously updated through iterative bundle adjustment and Kalman filtering.     

Development of a GIS data model with spatial,temporal and attribute components based on object-oriented approach

This paper presents a conceptual data model, the STA-model, for handling spatial, temporal and attribute aspects of objects in GIS. The model is developed on the basis of object-oriented modeling approach. This model includes two major parts: (a) modeling the signal objects by STA-object elements, and (b) modeling relationships between STA-objects. As an example, the STA-model is applied for modeling land cover change data with spatial, temporal and attribute components.     

A new method for indentifying the model error of adjustment system

Some theory problems affecting parameter estimation are discussed in this paper. Influence and transformation between errors of stochastic and functional models is pointed out as well. For choosing the best adjustment model, a formula, which is different from the literatures existing methods, for estimating and identifying the model error, is proposed. On the basis of the proposed formula, an effective approach of selecting the best model of adjustment system is given.     

A fast clonal selection algorithm for feature selection in hyperspectral imagery

Clonal selection feature selection algorithm (CSFS) based on clonal selection algorithm (CSA), a new computational intelligence approach, has been proposed to perform the task of dimensionality reduction in high-dimensional images, and has better performance than traditional feature selection algorithms with more computational costs. In this paper, a fast clonal selection feature selection algorithm (FCSFS) for hyperspectral imagery is proposed to improve the convergence rate by using Cauchy mutation instead of non-uniform mutation as the primary immune operator. Two experiments are performed to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm in comparison with CSFS using hyperspectral remote sensing imagery acquired by the pushbroom hyperspectral imager (PHI) and the airborne visible/infrared imaging spectrometer (AVIRIS), respectively. Experimental results demonstrate that the FCSFS converges faster than CSFS, hence providing an effective new option for dimensionality reduction of hyperspectral remote sensing imagery.     

Geostatistical approaches to refinement of digital elevation data

Data refinement refers to the processes by which a dataset’s resolution, in particular, the spatial one, is refined, and is thus synonymous to spatial downscaling. Spatial resolution indicates measurement scale and can be seen as an index for regular data support. As a type of change of scale, data refinement is useful for many scenarios where spatial scales of existing data, desired analyses, or specific applications need to be made commensurate and refined. As spatial data are related to certain data support, they can be conceived of as support-specific realizations of random fields, suggesting that multivariate geostatistics should be explored for refining datasets from their coarser-resolution versions to the finer-resolution ones. In this paper, geostatistical methods for downscaling are described, and were implemented using GTOPO30 data and sampled Shuttle Radar Topography Mission data at a site in northwest China, with the latter’s majority grid cells used as surrogate reference data. It was found that proper structural modeling is important for achieving increased accuracy in data refinement; here, structural modeling can be done through proper decomposition of elevation fields into trends and residuals and thereafter. It was confirmed that effects of semantic differences on data refinement can be reduced through properly estimating and incorporating biases in local means.     

Near real-time high-resolution airborne camera,AEROCam, for precision agriculture

Precision agriculture often relies on high-resolution imagery to delineate the variability within a field. Airborne Environmental Research Observational Camera (AEROCam) was designed to meet the needs of agriculture producers, ranchers, and researchers, who require high-resolution imagery in a near real-time environment for rapid decision support. AEROCam was developed and operated through a unique collaboration between several departments at the University of North Dakota, including the Upper Midwest Aerospace Consortium (UMAC), the School of Engineering and Mines, and flight operations at the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences. AEROCam consists of a Redlake MS4100 area-scan multi-spectral digital camera that features a 1920 × 1080 CCD array (7.4-μm detector) with 8-bit quantization. When operated at ～2 km above ground level, multispectral images with four bands in the visible and near infrared have a ground sample distance of 1 m with a horizontal extent of just over 1.6 km. Depending on the applications, flying at different altitudes can adjust the spatial resolution from 0.25 to 2 m. Rigorous spectral and radiometric calibrations allow AEROCam to be used in a variety of applications, qualitative and quantitative. Equipped with an inertial measurement unit (IMU) system, the images acquired can be geo-referenced automatically and delivered to end users near real time through our Digital Northern Great Plains system (DNGP). The images are also available to zone mapping application for precision farming (ZoneMAP), an online decision support tool for creating management zones from remote sensing imagery and data from other sources. Operational since 2004, AEROCam has flown over 250 sorties and delivered over 150,000 images to the users in the Northern Great Plains region, resulting in numerous applications in precision agriculture and resource management.     

Allowance of lateral breakthrough error for super long tunnels from 20km to 50km

Up to now there is no specification about the allowance of lateral breakthrough error for super long tunnel from 20 km to 50 km. On the basis of the design of GPS networks located outside and inside tunnel traverse network, we propose a method for calculating the influence value caused by control surveying errors. Through a lot of simulative calculations and combination with piercing practice of super tunnels in Wan Jiazai Project, Shanxi province, we present an allowance table of lateral breakthrough error for super long tunnels from 20 km to 50 km.     

Research on the security of national geospatial data clearinghouse based on ASP

On the basis of the authors' experiences of setting up an NGDC Web site, this paper attempts to present some significant aspects about the security of NGDC based on ASP. They include data storing, database maintenance, new technical support and so on. Firstly, this paper discusses how to provide the security of data which is saved in the hosts of NGDC. The security model of “Networks-DB Server-DB-DB Object” is also presented. In Windows NT Server, Internet Information Server (i. e., IIS) is in charge of transferring message and the management of Web sites. ASP is also based on IIS. The advantages of virtual directory technique provided by IIS are emphasized.