Removing Parallax-Induced False Changes in Change Detection

Accurate change detection (CD) results in urban environments is of interest to a diverse set of applications including military surveillance, environmental monitoring, and urban development. This work presents a hyperspectral CD (HSCD) framework. The framework uncovers the need for HSCD methods that resolve false change caused by image parallax. A Generalized Likelihood Ratio Test (GLRT) statistic for HSCD is developed that accommodates unknown mis-registration between imagery described by a prior probability density function for the spatial mis-registration. The potential of the derived method to incorporate more complex signal proccessing functions is demonstrated by the incorporation of a parallax error mitigation component. Results demonstrate that parallax mitigation reduces false alarms

Service robotics and machine learning for close-range remote sensing

L'abstract è presente nell'allegato / the abstract is in the attachmen

Recent Advances in Image Restoration with Applications to Real World Problems

In the past few decades, imaging hardware has improved tremendously in terms of resolution, making widespread usage of images in many diverse applications on Earth and planetary missions. However, practical issues associated with image acquisition are still affecting image quality. Some of these issues such as blurring, measurement noise, mosaicing artifacts, low spatial or spectral resolution, etc. can seriously affect the accuracy of the aforementioned applications. This book intends to provide the reader with a glimpse of the latest developments and recent advances in image restoration, which includes image super-resolution, image fusion to enhance spatial, spectral resolution, and temporal resolutions, and the generation of synthetic images using deep learning techniques. Some practical applications are also included

Benthic mapping of the Bluefields Bay fish sanctuary, Jamaica

Small island states, such as those in the Caribbean, are dependent on the nearshore marine ecosystem complex and its resources; the goods and services provided by seagrass and coral reef for example, are particularly indispensable to the tourism and fishing industries. In recognition of their valuable contributions and in an effort to promote sustainable use of marine resources, some nearshore areas have been designated as fish sanctuaries, as well as marine parks and protected areas. In order to effectively manage these coastal zones, a spatial basis is vital to understanding the ecological dynamics and ultimately inform management practices. However, the current extent of habitats within designated sanctuaries across Jamaica are currently unknown and owing to this, the Government of Jamaica is desirous of mapping the benthic features in these areas. Given the several habitat mapping methodologies that exist, it was deemed necessary to test the practicality of applying two remote sensing methods - optical and acoustic - at a pilot site in western Jamaica, the Bluefields Bay fish sanctuary. The optical remote sensing method involved a pixel-based supervised classification of two available multispectral images (WorldView-2 and GeoEye-1), whilst the acoustic method comprised a sonar survey using a BioSonics DT-X Portable Echosounder and subsequent indicator kriging interpolation in order to create continuous benthic surfaces. Image classification resulted in the mapping of three benthic classes, namely submerged vegetation, bare substrate and coral reef, with an overall map accuracy of 89.9% for WorldView-2 and 86.8% for GeoEye-1 imagery. These accuracies surpassed those of the acoustic classification method, which attained 76.6% accuracy for vegetation presence, and 53.5% for bottom substrate (silt, sand and coral reef/ hard bottom). Both approaches confirmed that the Bluefields Bay is dominated by submerged aquatic vegetation, with contrastingly smaller areas of bare sediment and coral reef patches. Additionally, the sonar revealed that silty substrate exists along the shoreline, whilst sand is found further offshore. Ultimately, the methods employed in this study were compared and although it was found that satellite image classification was perhaps the most cost-effective and well-suited for Jamaica given current available equipment and expertise, it is acknowledged that acoustic technology offers greater thematic detail required by a number of stakeholders and is capable of operating in turbid waters and cloud covered environments ill-suited for image classification. On the contrary, a major consideration for the acoustic classification process is the interpolation of processed data; this step gives rise to a number of potential limitations, such as those associated with the choice of interpolation algorithm, available software and expertise. The choice in mapping approach, as well as the survey design and processing steps is not an easy task; however the results of this study highlight the various benefits and shortcomings of implementing optical and acoustic classification approaches in Jamaica.Persons automatically associate tropical waters with spectacular views of coral reefs and colourful fish; however many are perhaps not aware that these coral reefs, as well as other living organisms inhabiting the seabed are in fact extremely valuable to our existence. Healthy coral reefs and seagrass assist in maintaining the sand on our beaches and fish populations and are thereby crucial to the tourism and fishing industries in the Caribbean. For this reason, a number of areas are protected by law and have been designated fish sanctuaries or marine protected areas. In order to understand the functioning of theses areas and effectively inform management strategy, the configuration of what exists on the seafloor is crucial. In the same vein that a motorist needs a road map to navigate unknown areas, coastal stakeholders require maps of the seafloor in order to understand what is happening beneath the water’s surface. The location of seafloor habitats within fish sanctuaries in Jamaica are currently unknown and the Government is interested in mapping them. However a myriad of methods exist that could be employed to achieve this goal. Remote sensing is a broad grouping of methods that involve collecting information about an object without being in direct physical contact with it. Many researchers have successfully mapped marine areas using these techniques and it was believed crucial to test the practicality of two such methods, specifically optical and acoustic remote sensing. The main question to be answered from this study was therefore: Which mapping approach is better for benthic habitat mapping in Jamaica and possibly the wider Caribbean? Optical remote sensing relates to the interaction of energy with the Earth’s surface. A digital photograph is taken from a satellite and subsequently interpreted. Acoustic/ sonar technology involves the recording of waveforms reflected from the seabed. Both methods were employed at a pilot site, the Bluefields Bay fish sanctuary, situated in western Jamaica. The optical remote sensing method involved the classification of two satellite images (named WorldView-2 and GeoEye-1) and this process was informed using known positions of seafloor features, this being known as supervised image classification. With regard to the acoustic method, a field survey utilising sonar equipment (BioSonics DT-X Portable Echosounder) was undertaken in order to collect the necessary sonar data. The processed field data was modelled in order to convert lines of field point data to one continuous map of the sanctuary, a process known as interpolation. The accuracy of each method was then tested using field knowledge of what exists in the sanctuary. The map resulting from the image classification revealed three seafloor types, namely submerged vegetation, coral reef and bare seafloor. The overall map accuracy was 89.9% for the WorldView-2 image and 86.8% for GeoEye-1 imagery. These accuracies surpassed those attained from the acoustic classification method (76.6% for vegetation presence and 53.5% for bottom type - silt, sand and coral reef/ hard bottom). Similar to previous studies undertaken, it was shown that the seabed of Bluefields Bay is primarily inhabited by submerged aquatic vegetation (including seagrass and algae), with contrastingly smaller areas of bare sediment and coral reef. Ultimately, the methods employed in this study were compared and the pros and cons of each were weighed in order to deem one method more suitable in Jamaica. Often, the presence of cloud and suspended matter in the water block the view of the seafloor making image classification difficult. On the contrary, acoustic surveys are capable of operating throughout cloudy conditions and attaining more detailed information of the ocean floor, otherwise not possible with optical remote sensing. A major step in the acoustic classification process however, was the interpolation of processed data, which may introduce additional limitations if careful consideration is not given to the intricacies of the process. Lastly, the acoustic survey certainly required greater financial resources than satellite image classification. In answer to the main question of this study, the most cost effective and feasible mapping method for Jamaica is satellite image classification (based on the results attained). It must be stressed however that the effective implementation of any method will depend on a number of factors, such as available software, equipment, expertise and user needs, that must be weighed in order to select the most feasible mapping method for a particular site

Application of Multi-Sensor Fusion Technology in Target Detection and Recognition

Application of multi-sensor fusion technology has drawn a lot of industrial and academic interest in recent years. The multi-sensor fusion methods are widely used in many applications, such as autonomous systems, remote sensing, video surveillance, and the military. These methods can obtain the complementary properties of targets by considering multiple sensors. On the other hand, they can achieve a detailed environment description and accurate detection of interest targets based on the information from different sensors.This book collects novel developments in the field of multi-sensor, multi-source, and multi-process information fusion. Articles are expected to emphasize one or more of the three facets: architectures, algorithms, and applications. Published papers dealing with fundamental theoretical analyses, as well as those demonstrating their application to real-world problems

Urban forest ecosystem analysis using fused airborne hyperspectral and lidar data

Urban trees are strategically important in a city's effort to mitigate their carbon footprint, heat island effects, air pollution, and stormwater runoff. Currently, the most common method for quantifying urban forest structure and ecosystem function is through field plot sampling. However, taking intensive structural measurements on private properties throughout a city is difficult, and the outputs from sample inventories are not spatially explicit. The overarching goal of this dissertation is to develop methods for mapping urban forest structure and function using fused hyperspectral imagery and waveform lidar data at the individual tree crown scale. Urban forest ecosystem services estimated using the USDA Forest Service’s i-Tree Eco (formerly UFORE) model are based largely on tree species and leaf area index (LAI). Accordingly, tree species were mapped in my Santa Barbara, California study area for 29 species comprising >80% of canopy. Crown-scale discriminant analysis methods were introduced for fusing Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometry (AVIRIS) data with a suite of lidar structural metrics (e.g., tree height, crown porosity) to maximize classification accuracy in a complex environment. AVIRIS imagery was critical to achieving an overall species-level accuracy of 83.4% while lidar data was most useful for improving the discrimination of small and morphologically unique species. LAI was estimated at both the field-plot scale using laser penetration metrics and at the crown scale using allometry. Agreement of the former with photographic estimates of gap fraction and the latter with allometric estimates based on field measurements was examined. Results indicate that lidar may be used reasonably to measure LAI in an urban environment lacking in continuous canopy and characterized by high species diversity. Finally, urban ecosystem services such as carbon storage and building energy-use modification were analyzed through combination of aforementioned methods and the i-Tree Eco modeling framework. The remote sensing methods developed in this dissertation will allow researchers to more precisely constrain urban ecosystem spatial analyses and equip cities to better manage their urban forest resource

Remote Sensing

This dual conception of remote sensing brought us to the idea of preparing two different books; in addition to the first book which displays recent advances in remote sensing applications, this book is devoted to new techniques for data processing, sensors and platforms. We do not intend this book to cover all aspects of remote sensing techniques and platforms, since it would be an impossible task for a single volume. Instead, we have collected a number of high-quality, original and representative contributions in those areas

Digital Techniques for Documenting and Preserving Cultural Heritage

In this unique collection the authors present a wide range of interdisciplinary methods to study, document, and conserve material cultural heritage. The methods used serve as exemplars of best practice with a wide variety of cultural heritage objects having been recorded, examined, and visualised. The objects range in date, scale, materials, and state of preservation and so pose different research questions and challenges for digitization, conservation, and ontological representation of knowledge. Heritage science and specialist digital technologies are presented in a way approachable to non-scientists, while a separate technical section provides details of methods and techniques, alongside examples of notable applications of spatial and spectral documentation of material cultural heritage, with selected literature and identification of future research. This book is an outcome of interdisciplinary research and debates conducted by the participants of the COST Action TD1201, Colour and Space in Cultural Heritage, 2012–16 and is an Open Access publication available under a CC BY-NC-ND licence.https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/mip_arc_cdh/1000/thumbnail.jp