Non-linear partial least square regression increases the estimation accuracy of grass nitrogen and phosphorus using in situ hyperspectral and environmental data

Grass nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations are direct indicators of rangeland quality and provide imperative information for sound management of wildlife and livestock. It is challenging to estimate grass N and P concentrations using remote sensing in the savanna ecosystems. These areas are diverse and heterogeneous in soil and plant moisture, soil nutrients, grazing pressures, and human activities. The objective of the study is to test the performance of non-linear partial least squares regression (PLSR) for predicting grass N and P concentrations through integrating in situ hyperspectral remote sensing and environmental variables (climatic, edaphic and topographic). Data were collected along a land use gradient in the greater Kruger National Park region. The data consisted of: (i) in situ-measured hyperspectral spectra, (ii) environmental variables and measured grass N and P concentrations. The hyperspectral variables included published starch, N and protein spectral absorption features, red edge position, narrow-band indices such as simple ratio (SR) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). The results of the non-linear PLSR were compared to those of conventional linear PLSR. Using non-linear PLSR, integrating in situ hyperspectral and environmental variables yielded the highest grass N and P estimation accuracy (R² = 0.81, root mean square error (RMSE) = 0.08, and R² = 0.80, RMSE = 0.03, respectively) as compared to using remote sensing variables only, and conventional PLSR. The study demonstrates the importance of an integrated modeling approach for estimating grass quality which is a crucial effort towards effective management and planning of protected and communal savanna ecosystems.     

地基GPS水汽反演昆明地区加权平均温度的模型建立

本文根据长期的气象探空资料通过数值积分的方法算出每个时次的加权平均温度,然后在此基础上对Bevis回归经验公式进行订正;在加权平均温度模型的建立中,计算公式中系数a、b的求解由计算软件根据最小二乘原理快速结算。最后通过相应的数据模拟计算证明这种方法可以确定出适合昆明本地区的加权平均温度计算模型。     

千河流域土地利用空间格局模拟及其影响因素分析

本文以黄土高原生态脆弱区千河流域为研究对象,遴选出影响土地利用空间分布的关键自然和社会经济因子,在考虑空间数据自相关性影响的基础上,综合利用GIS空间分析和二元Logistic回归分析等方法,构建2005年千河流域耕地、林地和草地三种主要地类空间分布概率二元Logistic回归模型,对该流域土地利用空间格局进行模拟和分析.结果表明,模拟结果较为理想,且不同驱动因子对不同地类空间分布格局的影响程度不同.     

Determination of weighted mean tropospheric temperature using ground meteorological measurements

The weighted mean tropospheric temperature is a critical parameter in the conversion of wet zenith delay to precipitable water vapor in GPS Meteorology. This parameter can not be calculated from the radiosonde data in real time through the conventional methods. In this study, we first discuss the admissible error of weighted mean temperature to enable the accuracy of the conversion better than 1 mm, then summarize the performance of some of the existing methods. An empirical formula is established that satisfies the real-time requirement in GPS meteorology using Sequential Regression Analysis method. It is shown that this real-time formula as compared with other empirical methods is more accurate for local applications.     

Enhancing group resolution of TM6 based on multi-variate regression model and semi-variogram function

It is well known that Landsat TM images are the most widely used remote sensing data in various fields. Usually, it has 7 different electromagnetic spectrum bands, among which the sixth one has much lower ground resolution compared with the other six bands. Nevertheless, it is useful in the study of rock spectrum reflection, geo-thermal resources exploration, etc. To improve the ground resolution of TM6 to the level as that of the other six bands is a problem. This paper presents an algorithm based on the combination of multi-variate regression model with semi-variogram function which can improve the ground resolution of TM6 by “fusing” the data of other six bands. It includes the following main steps: (1) testing the correlation between TM6 and one of TM1-5, 7. If the correlation coefficient between TM6 and another one is greater than a give threshold value, then select the band to the regression analysis as an argument. (2) calculating the size of the template window within which some parameters needed by the regression model will be calculated; (3) replacing the original pixel values of TM6 by those obtained by regression analysis; (4) using image entropy as a measurement to evaluate the quality of the fused image of TM6. The basic mechanism of the algorithm is discussed and the V C++ program for implemeting this algorithm is also presented. A simple application example is given in the last part of this paper, showing the effectiveness of the algorithm.     

Semiparametric regression and model refining

This paper presents a semiparametric adjustment method suitable for general cases. Assuming that the regularizer matrix is positive definite, the calculation method is discussed and the corresponding formulae are presented. Finally, a simulated adjustment problem is constructed to explain the method given in this paper. The results from the semiparametric model and G-M model are compared. The results demonstrate that the model errors or the systematic errors of the observations can be detected correctly with the semiparametric estimate method.     

Detecting and Enumerating New Building Structures Utilizing Very‐High Resolution Imaged Data and Image Processing

Abstract

Information on the number and type of new building structures is required by urban and transportation planners and the real estate industry. The goal of this paper is to explore the potential of high resolution imagery for meeting public and private sector demands for information on new buildings. The value of 1 m, 5 m, and 10 m panchromatic and 1 m color scanned aerial photography images acquired in 1997 and 1998 for a study area within the City of San Diego, California is assessed for general change detection and building enumeration. Both semi‐automated and interactive change‐detection approaches are evaluated. We demonstrate that interactive, visual‐based approaches appear to be the most accurate (within 1% of actual count) and efficient approach for generating information on the number of new buildings associated with single family residential land use. More automated approaches to detecting and enumerating image microfeatures may be useful as enhancements for visual‐based assessments and may be practical in areas composed mostly of large buildings associated with commercial and industrial land use. The highest accuracy for automated approaches was an undercounting of 11% for residential buildings and overcounting of 20% for those associated with commercial and industrial land use.     

Retrieval of tropical forest biomass information from ALOS PALSAR data

Advanced Land Observing Satellite Phased Array L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (ALOS PALSAR) data from different observation modes were analysed to determine (1) which observation mode most accurately retrieves tropical forest biomass information and (2) whether different modes, when considered together, yield improved results in comparison to identical data-sets analysed independently. We performed regression analysis to estimate above-ground forest biomass using PALSAR backscatter data for natural and planted forests in south-eastern Bangladesh. The coefficient of determination (r ²) was lower or equal to 0.499 (n = 70) when PALSAR data from different observation modes were separately considered, but increased sharply when one class (rubber) is dropped and average backscatter of fine beam single (FBS) and polrimetric (PLR) modes are used in the analysis. The results presented in this article are useful for both regional and global forest biomass inventories and fixing acquisition modes for planned L-band SAR missions.     

Satellite-based rainfall estimation for river flow forecasting in Africa. I: Rainfall estimates and hydrological forecasts

Abstract

Reliable, real-time river flow forecasting in Africa on a time scale of days can provide enormous humanitarian and economic benefits. This study investigates the feasibility of using daily rainfall estimates based on cold cloud duration (CCD) derived from Meteosat thermal infrared imagery as input to a simple rainfall—runoff model and also whether such estimates can be improved by the inclusion of information from numerical weather prediction (NWP) analysis models. The Bakoye catchment in Mali, West Africa has been used as a test area. The data available for the study covered the main months of the rainy season for three years. The rainfall estimates were initially validated against gauge data. Improvements in quality were observed when information relating to African Easterly Wave phase and storm type was included in a multiple linear regression (MR) algorithm. The estimates were also tested by using them as input to a rainfall—runoff model. When contemporaneous calibrations from raingauges were available for calibration, both CCD-only and MR rainfall estimates gave more accurate river flow forecasts than when using raingauge data alone. In the absence of contemporaneous calibrations, the performance was reduced but the MR did better than the CCDonly input in all years. The use of satellite-derived vegetation index did not improve the quality of the river flow forecasts.     

Multiple linear regression,multi-layer perceptron network and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system for forecasting precipitation based on large-scale climate signals

ABSTRACT

Nowadays, mathematical models are widely used to predict climate processes, but little has been done to compare the models. In this study, multiple linear regression (MLR), multi-layer perceptron (MLP) network and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) models were compared for precipitation forecasting. The large-scale climate signals were considered as inputs to the applied models. After selecting the most effective climate indices, the effects of large-scale climate signals on the seasonal standardized precipitation index (SPI) of the Maharlu-Bakhtaran catchment, Iran, simultaneously and with a delay, was analysed using a cross-correlation function. Hence, the SPI time series was forecasted up to four time intervals using MLR, MLP and ANFIS. The results showed that most of the indices were significant with SPI of different lag times. Comparison of the SPI forecast results by MLR, MLP and ANFIS models showed better performance for the MLP network than the other two models (RMSE = 0.86, MAE = 0.74 for the first step ahead of SPI forecasting).

Editor D. Koutsoyiannis; Associate editor F. Pappenberger