Characterizing tree species in the Northwest Territories using spectral mixture analysis and multi-temporal satellite imagery

Natural resource management in northern boreal forests requires tree species identification for improved decision making. Satellite remote sensing provides a more cost-effective and time-efficient way to obtain this information in these large, remote, inaccessible areas. However, satellite signals are highly mixed due to increased tree shadows and visible understory vegetation in higher latitude, lower density open forests. Thus, methods used in southern forests are largely unsuitable. Therefore, spectral mixture analysis (SMA) was tested as it separates these signal components (trees, understory, shadow) at sub-pixel scales, allowing improved forest information. In this study, SMA was used to identify the dominant species near Fort Providence NWT using Landsat-5 Thematic Mapper imagery. An accuracy of 79 % was achieved for four species validated against 48 ground plots using multiple-date imagery acquired at different stages of the growing season. These positive results indicate SMA’s capability to retrieve species information of highly mixed open stands

Wetland Habitat Studies using various Classification Techniques on Multi-Spectral Landsat Imagery: Case study: Tram chim National Park, Dong Thap Vietnam

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Geospatial TechnologiesWetland is one of the most valuable ecological systems in nature. Wetland habitat is a set of comprehensive information of wetland distribution, wetland habitat types are essential to wetland management programs. Maps of wetland should provide sufficient detail, retain an appropriate scale and be useful for further mapping and inventory work (Queensland wetland framework). Remotely sensed image classification techniques are useful to detect vegetation patterns and species combination in the inaccessible regions. Automated classification procedures are conducted to save the time of the research. The purpose of the research was to develop a hierarchical classification approach that effectively integrate ancillary information into the classification process and combines ISODATA (iterative self-organizing data analysis techniques algorithm) clustering, Maximum likelihood and rule-based classifier. The main goal was to find out the best possible combination or sequence of classifiers for typically classifying wetland habitat types yields higher accuracy than the existing classified wetland map from Landsat ETM data. Three classification schemes were introduced to delineate the wetland habitat types in the idea of comparison among the methods. The results showed the low accuracy of different classification schemes revealing the fact that image classification is still on the way toward a fine proper procedure to get high accuracy result with limited effort to make the investigation on sites. Even though the motivation of the research was to apply an appropriate procedure with acceptable accuracy of classified map image, the results did not achieve a higher accuracy on knowledge-based classification method as it was expected. The possible reasons are the limitation of the image resolution, the ground truth data requirements, and the difficulties of building the rules based on the spectral characteristics of the objects which contain high mix of spectral similarities

Earth resources: A continuing bibliography with indexes, issue 50

This bibliography lists 523 reports, articles and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system between April 1 and June 30, 1986. Emphasis is placed on the use of remote sensing and geophysical instrumentation in spacecraft and aircraft to survey and inventory natural resources and urban areas. Subject matter is grouped according to agriculture and forestry, environmental changes and cultural resources, geodesy and cartography, geology and mineral resources, hydrology and water management, data processing and distribution systems, instrumentation and sensors, and economic analysis

Metsissä tapahtuvien häiriöiden ja niistä palautumisen seurannan mahdollisuuksien parantaminen laajoilla alueilla

Information needs associated with forest monitoring have become increasingly complex. Data to support these information needs are required to be systematically generated, spatially exhaustive, spatially explicit, and to capture changes at a spatial and temporal resolution that is commensurate with both natural and anthropogenic impacts. Moreover, reporting obligations impose additional expectations of transparency, repeatability, and data provenance. The overall objective of this dissertation was to address these needs and improve capacity for large-area monitoring of forest disturbance and subsequent recovery. Landsat time series (LTS) enhance opportunities for forest monitoring, particularly for post-disturbance recovery assessments, while best-available pixel (BAP) compositing approaches allow LTS approaches to be applied over large forest extents. In substudies I and IV, forest monitoring information needs were identified and linked to image compositing criteria and data availability in Canada and Finland. In substudy II, methods were developed and demonstrated for generating large-area, gap-filled Landsat BAP image composites that preserve detected changes, generate continuous change metrics, and provide foundational, annual data to support forest monitoring. In substudy III a national monitoring framework was prototyped at scale over the 650 Mha of Canada’s forest ecosystems, providing a detailed analysis of areas disturbed by wildfire and harvest for a 25-year period (1985–2010), as well as characterizing short- and long-term recovery. New insights on spectral recovery metrics were provided by substudies V and VI. In substudies V, the utility of spectral measures of recovery were evaluated and confirmed against benchmarks of forest cover and height derived from airborne laser scanning data. In substudy VI the influence of field-measured structure and composition on spectral recovery were examined and quantified. By focusing on four key aspects of forest monitoring systems: information needs, data availability, methods development, and information outcomes, the component studies demonstrated that combining BAP compositing and LTS analysis approaches provides data with the requisite characteristics to support large-area forest monitoring, while also enabling a more comprehensive assessment of forest disturbance and recovery.Tietotarpeista metsien seurantaan liittyen on tullut entistä monitahoisempia. Jotta näihin tietotarpeisiin voidaan vastata, aineistojen tulee olla systemaattisesti tuotettuja, spatiaalisesti kattavia ja yksiselitteisiä, sekä niiden avulla tulee olla mahdollista havaita muutokset spatiaalisella ja temporaalisella resoluutiolla, jotka ovat yhteismitallisia sekä luonnon että ihmisen vaikutusten kanssa. Lisäksi raportointivelvollisuudet asettavat edelleen vaatimuksia läpinäkyvyyden, toistettavuuden ja aineistojen alkuperän suhteen. Väitöskirjan tavoitteena oli keskittyä näihin tarpeisiin sekä parantaa metsissä tapahtuvien häiriöiden ja niistä palautumisen seurannan mahdollisuuksia laajoilla alueilla. Landsat-aikasarja tehostaa metsien seurannan mahdollisuuksia, erityisesti metsissä tapahtuvien häiriöiden jälkeisen palautumisen arviointia, kun taas komposiittikuvien tuottamisen lähestymistapa, jossa hyödynnetään parhaita saatavilla olevia pikseleitä, mahdollistaa Landsat-aikasarjan hyödyntämisen laajoilla metsäalueilla. Osajulkaisuissa I ja IV tunnistettiin metsien seurannan tietotarpeita ja liitettiin niitä komposiittikuvan tuottamisen kriteereihin sekä aineistojen saatavuuteen Kanadassa ja Suomessa. Osajulkaisussa II kehitettiin menetelmiä ja havainnollistettiin niitä tuottamalla laajan alueen yhtenäiset Landsat-komposiittikuvat, joista tunnistettiin muutokset, laskettiin jatkuvat muutospiirteet sekä tuotettiin vuosittaiset tiedot, jotka ovat olennaisen tärkeitä metsien seurannan kannalta. Osajulkaisussa III kansallista seurantamenetelmää testattiin Kanadan yli 650 Mha metsäekosysteemien alueella ja se mahdollisti yksityiskohtaiset analyysit kohteissa, joissa oli tapahtunut metsäpalo tai päätehakkuu edellisen 25 vuoden aikana (1985-2010). Lisäksi metsien lyhyen ja pitkän ajan palautumista pystytiin arvioimaan. Palautumista kuvaavista sävyarvopiirteistä tuotettiin lisätietoa osajulkaisuissa V ja VI. Osajulkaisussa V metsien palautumista kuvaavien sävyarvojen hyödyllisyyttä arvioitiin ja vahvistettiin vertaamalla niitä metsien peitteisyyden ja pituuden kriteereihin, jotka saatiin lentolaserkeilausaineistosta. Osajulkaisussa VI tutkittiin ja määrällistettiin maastossa mitattujen metsän rakenteen ja puulajisuhteiden vaikutusta palautumista kuvaaviin sävyarvoihin. Keskittymällä metsien seurantajärjestelmien neljään tärkeimpään näkökulmaan, tietotarpeeseen, aineistojen saatavuuteen, menetelmäkehitykseen, ja tuotettuun tietoon, väitöskirjatutkimukset osoittivat, että yhdistämällä lähestymistapa, jossa komposiittikuvat tuotetiin hyödyntämällä parhaita saatavilla olevia pikseleitä, ja Landsat-aikasarja on mahdollista tuottaa sellaista tietoa ja aineistoja, joissa on tarvittavat ominaisuudet laajojen alueiden metsien seurantaa varten, samalla kun mahdollistetaan myös kokonaisvaltaisempi arviointi metsissä tapahtuvista häiriöistä ja metsien palautumisesta niiden jälkeen

Remote Sensing Applications in Monitoring of Protected Areas

Protected areas (PAs) have been established worldwide for achieving long-term goals in the conservation of nature with the associated ecosystem services and cultural values. Globally, 15% of the world’s terrestrial lands and inland waters, excluding Antarctica, are designated as PAs. About 4.12% of the global ocean and 10.2% of coastal and marine areas under national jurisdiction are set as marine protected areas (MPAs). Protected lands and waters serve as the fundamental building blocks of virtually all national and international conservation strategies, supported by governments and international institutions. Some of the PAs are the only places that contain undisturbed landscape, seascape and ecosystems on the planet Earth. With intensified impacts from climate and environmental change, PAs have become more important to serve as indicators of ecosystem status and functions. Earth’s remaining wilderness areas are becoming increasingly important buffers against changing conditions. The development of remote sensing platforms and sensors and the improvement in science and technology provide crucial support for the monitoring and management of PAs across the world. In this editorial paper, we reviewed research developments using state-of-the-art remote sensing technologies, discussed the challenges of remote sensing applications in the inventory, monitoring, management and governance of PAs and summarized the highlights of the articles published in this Special Issue

Remote Sensing of Environment: Current status of Landsat program, science, and applications

Formal planning and development of what became the first Landsat satellite commenced over 50 years ago in 1967. Now, having collected earth observation data for well over four decades since the 1972 launch of Landsat- 1, the Landsat program is increasingly complex and vibrant. Critical programmatic elements are ensuring the continuity of high quality measurements for scientific and operational investigations, including ground systems, acquisition planning, data archiving and management, and provision of analysis ready data products. Free and open access to archival and new imagery has resulted in a myriad of innovative applications and novel scientific insights. The planning of future compatible satellites in the Landsat series, which maintain continuity while incorporating technological advancements, has resulted in an increased operational use of Landsat data. Governments and international agencies, among others, can now build an expectation of Landsat data into a given operational data stream. International programs and conventions (e.g., deforestation monitoring, climate change mitigation) are empowered by access to systematically collected and calibrated data with expected future continuity further contributing to the existing multi-decadal record. The increased breadth and depth of Landsat science and applications have accelerated following the launch of Landsat-8, with significant improvements in data quality. Herein, we describe the programmatic developments and institutional context for the Landsat program and the unique ability of Landsat to meet the needs of national and international programs. We then present the key trends in Landsat science that underpin many of the recent scientific and application developments and followup with more detailed thematically organized summaries. The historical context offered by archival imagery combined with new imagery allows for the development of time series algorithms that can produce information on trends and dynamics. Landsat-8 has figured prominently in these recent developments, as has the improved understanding and calibration of historical data. Following the communication of the state of Landsat science, an outlook for future launches and envisioned programmatic developments are presented. Increased linkages between satellite programs are also made possible through an expectation of future mission continuity, such as developing a virtual constellation with Sentinel-2. Successful science and applications developments create a positive feedback loop—justifying and encouraging current and future programmatic support for Landsat

Long-term Prairie Wetlands Extraction and Change Detection with Multi-spatial and Multi-temporal Remote Sensing Data

Prairie wetlands, also called “potholes”, provide both ecological and hydrological functions and have experienced dramatic change over the past century. This research aims to: 1) compare the capacity of Landsat and SPOT in mapping open water and wet areas with advanced classification methods; 2) monitor and quantify the changes in wetlands and drainage channels, between 1948 and 2009, with aerial photography; and 3) evaluate Landsat’s ability to extract historical wetland coverage data across seasons using a variety of methods. Results indicate that Landsat is capable for mapping open water, wet areas and other LULC types in PPR; however only 48.5% of wetland areas are identified as compared with air photos. Historical analysis of air photo generated wetland and drainage channels show that the whole basin’s wetlands rapidly decreased from 1958 to 1990 (24% to 13%) and slowly decreased from 1990 to 2009 (13% to 10%) with the least reduction in sub basin 1. Drainage channels slowly increased from 1958 to 1990 (119 km to 269 km) and dramatically increased from 1990 to 2009 (269 km to 931km). Wetland area is highly correlated with accumulated snowfall in the previous three years in sub basin 2 (r=0.91, p<0.05) due to its memory effect to previous water conditions. For the full basin, however, there were not enough years of data to prove this correlation. Even though the minimum distance algorithm in early spring is optimal for mapping wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR), comparing with air photos, SPOT imagery underestimated wetlands smaller than 1200 m2, while Landsat imagery is not able to detect wetlands smaller than 900 m2 and underestimates areas smaller than 1600 m2. Although free-archived Landsat can detect water bodies larger than 900 m2, its ability to detect prairie wetland is limited due to missing numerous small-scale wetlands and misclassification of seasonal wetlands.

Earth Resources: A continuing bibliography with indexes (Issue 37)

This bibliography lists 512 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system between January 1 and March 31, 1983. Emphasis is placed on the use of remote sensing and geophysical instrumentation in spacecraft and aircraft to survey and inventory natural resources and urban areas. Subject matter is grouped according to agriculture and forestry, environmental changes and cultural resources, geodesy and cartography, geology and mineral resources, hydrology and water management, data processing and distribution systems, instrumentation and sensors, and economic analysis

Assesment of biomass and carbon dynamics in pine forests of the Spanish central range: A remote sensing approach

Forests play a dynamic role in the terrestrial carbon (C) budget, by means of the biomass stock and C fluxes involved in photosynthesis and respiration. Remote sensing in combination with data analysis constitute a practical means for evaluation of forest implications in the carbon cycle, providing spatially explicit estimations of the amount, quality, and spatio-temporal dynamics of biomass and C stocks. Medium and high spatial resolution optical data from satellite-borne sensors were employed, supported by field measures, to investigate the carbon role of Mediterranean pines in the Central Range of Spain during a 25 year period (1984-2009). The location, extent, and distribution of pine forests were characterized, and spatial changes occurred in three sub-periods were evaluated. Capitalizing on temporal series of spectral data from Landsat sensors, novel techniques for processing and data analysis were developed to identify successional processes at the landscape level, and to characterize carbon stocking condition locally, enabling simultaneous characterization of trends and patterns of change. High spatial resolution data captured by the commercial satellite QuickBird-2 were employed to model structural attributes at the stand level, and to explore forest structural diversity

Earth resources. A continuing bibliography with indexes, issue 24

This bibliography lists 345 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system between October 1, 1979 and December 31, 1979. Emphasis is placed on the use of remote sensing and geophysical instrumentation in spacecraft and aircraft to survey and inventory natural resources and urban areas. Subject matter is grouped according to agriculture and forestry, environmental changes and cultural resources, geodesy and cartography, geology and mineral resources, hydrology and water management, data processing and distribution systems, instrumentation and sensors, and economic analysis