Generation of high spatial and temporal resolution NDVI and its application in crop biomass estimation

Abstract

While data like HJ-1 CCD images have advantageous spatial characteristics for describing crop properties, the temporal resolution of the data is rather low, which can be easily made worse by cloud contamination. In contrast, although Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) can only achieve a spatial resolution of 250 m in its normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) product, it has a high temporal resolution, covering the Earth up to multiple times per day. To combine the high spatial resolution and high temporal resolution of different data sources, a new method (Spatial and Temporal Adaptive Vegetation index Fusion Model [STAVFM]) for blending NDVI of different spatial and temporal resolutions to produce high spatial–temporal resolution NDVI datasets was developed based on Spatial and Temporal Adaptive Reflectance Fusion Model (STARFM). STAVFM defines a time window according to the temporal variation of crops, takes crop phenophase into consideration and improves the temporal weighting algorithm. The result showed that the new method can combine the temporal information of MODIS NDVI and spatial difference information of HJ-1 CCD NDVI to generate an NDVI dataset with both high spatial and high temporal resolution. An application of the generated NDVI dataset in crop biomass estimation was provided. An average absolute error of 17.2% was achieved. The estimated winter wheat biomass correlated well with observed biomass (R ² of 0.876). We conclude that the new dataset will improve the application of crop biomass estimation by describing the crop biomass accumulation in detail. There is potential to apply the approach in many other studies, including crop production estimation, crop growth monitoring and agricultural ecosystem carbon cycle research, which will contribute to the implementation of Digital Earth by describing land surface processes in detail.     

Three-dimensional trees for virtual globes

One of the problems in virtual globes technologies is the real-time representation of vegetal species. In forest or garden representations, the low detailed plants produce a lack of realism. Efficient techniques are required to achieve accurate interactive visualisation due to the great number of polygons the vegetal species have. This article presents a multi-resolution model based on a geometric representation of vegetal species that allows the application to perform the progressive transmission of the model, that is, the transmission of a simple representation followed by successive refinements of it. It has a hardware-oriented design in order to obtain interactive frame rates. The geometric data of the objects are stored in the graphics processing unit and, moreover, the change from one approximation to another is obtained by performing mathematical calculations in this graphics hardware. The multi-resolution model presented here enables instancing: as many vegetal species as desired can be rendered with different levels of detail, while all of them are accessing the same geometric data. This model has been used to build a real-time representation of a not imaginary scenario.     

A hierarchical spatiotemporal adaptive fusion model using one image pair

ABSTRACT

Image fusion techniques that blend multi-sensor characteristics to generate synthetic data with fine resolutions have generated great interest within the remote sensing community. Over the past decade, although many advances have been made in the spatiotemporal fusion models, there still remain several shortcomings in existing methods. In this article, a hierarchical spatiotemporal adaptive fusion model (HSTAFM) is proposed for producing daily synthetic fine-resolution fusions. The suggested model uses only one prior or posterior image pair, especially with the aim being to predict arbitrary temporal changes. The proposed model is implemented in two stages. First, the coarse-resolution image is enhanced through super-resolution based on sparse representation; second, a pre-selection of temporal change is performed. It then adopts a two-level strategy to select similar pixels, and blends multi-sensor features adaptively to generate the final synthetic data. The results of tests using both simulated and actual observed data show that the model can accurately capture both seasonal phenology change and land-cover-type change. Comparisons between HSTAFM and other developed models also demonstrate our proposed model produces consistently lower biases.     

Cartographically Wordy but not Necessarily Worthy

Abstract

A novel method called multidirectional visibility index (MVI) has been developed and verified. The MVI improves standard cartographic analytical shading with a number of enhancements to topographic detail and prominent structures, i.e. the portrayal of flat areas in lighter tones, the accentuation of morphologic edges, and the multiscale visualisation of morphologic terrain features. The procedure requires a digital elevation model (DEM) and involves the following steps: visibility mask computation; the respective multidirectional altering of the azimuth and elevation angle; the generation of continuous grid MVIs that indicate upper/lower views, quasi-slope, and relative relief; and an appropriate visualisation of the relevant MVI as a standalone technique or in combination with standard hill-shaded relief. The modelling parameters are robust and therefore highly adaptive to different landforms.     

The Military Map of the United Kingdom and its Impact on Mapping in the Twentieth Century

Abstract

Considerable attention has been paid in the literature to the changing style of Ordnance Survey mapping in the twentieth century. However, little has been written about the origins of the characteristic appearance of the first multi-colour editions, other that the Ordnance Survey used a military edition that was already in production. The distinctive style grew out of the work of a committee established in 1892 by the War Office to consider future army requirements for a map of the UK. This paper explores the work of the committee and its long-term implications for the look of mapping in the twentieth century.     

三维数字城市在道路规划设计中的应用研究

＂数字城市＂建设成果在国民经济建设中逐渐得到广泛应用,以直观、可视化、信息更加丰富为显著特点的＂三维数字城市＂建设成果,成为应用创新的助推剂,而当前,传统的依靠计算机辅助设计软件开展道路设计规划成为一种需要突破的变革趋势,选择基于三维数字城市建设成果开展道路规划设计,以其显著的优势成为道路设计规划变革的新途径。     

基于移动GIS的土地执法动态巡查系统建设

目前土地执法巡查工作存在着作业方式落后、信息化程度低、巡查效率低和巡查人员不易监督的问题。针对这些问题,通过分析土地执法巡查的业务需求和移动GIS技术的特点提出构建基于移动GIS的土地执法动态巡查系统,在此基础上完成系统总体架构设计和功能设计,分析系统实现的移动GIS技术、数据库引擎技术、Web Services技术和基于时间维的GIS管理技术,重点阐述移动GIS技术在系统中的应用,最后完成系统开发。系统的使用改善了执法巡查现状,提高了巡查效率。     

扩展共线方程结合车载组合全景相机影像区域网平差

利用扩展共线方程实现组合相机单片影像的空中三角测量,通过该方法来提高全景影像的定位精度。由于组合全景相机中各子相机刚性固定,相机间的相对位姿参数可以精确标定,因此利用扩展共线方程模型,可以将组合全景相机的构像单元从单个子相机影像扩展为整个组合相机获取的多张影像。与已有的球模型方法,包括球理想模型和球严密模型方法相比,本文所用的扩展共线方程方法使用各子相机影像像点作为观测值,避免了球模型方法中由各子相机摄影中心不重合导致的球模型投影误差和摄站内重叠区域融合误差。试验结果表明:与球模型方法相比,本文方法无需模型投影和摄站内重叠区域融合等繁琐的处理过程,避免了由其引起的精度损失,保证了空三网稳定性的同时提高了定位精度。