Optimized kernel minimum noise fraction transformation for hyperspectral image classification

This paper presents an optimized kernel minimum noise fraction transformation (OKMNF) for feature extraction of hyperspectral imagery. The proposed approach is based on the kernel minimum noise fraction (KMNF) transformation, which is a nonlinear dimensionality reduction method. KMNF can map the original data into a higher dimensional feature space and provide a small number of quality features for classification and some other post processing. Noise estimation is an important component in KMNF. It is often estimated based on a strong relationship between adjacent pixels. However, hyperspectral images have limited spatial resolution and usually have a large number of mixed pixels, which make the spatial information less reliable for noise estimation. It is the main reason that KMNF generally shows unstable performance in feature extraction for classification. To overcome this problem, this paper exploits the use of a more accurate noise estimation method to improve KMNF. We propose two new noise estimation methods accurately. Moreover, we also propose a framework to improve noise estimation, where both spectral and spatial de-correlation are exploited. Experimental results, conducted using a variety of hyperspectral images, indicate that the proposed OKMNF is superior to some other related dimensionality reduction methods in most cases. Compared to the conventional KMNF, the proposed OKMNF benefits significant improvements in overall classification accuracy

A Comprehensive Survey of Deep Learning in Remote Sensing: Theories, Tools and Challenges for the Community

In recent years, deep learning (DL), a re-branding of neural networks (NNs), has risen to the top in numerous areas, namely computer vision (CV), speech recognition, natural language processing, etc. Whereas remote sensing (RS) possesses a number of unique challenges, primarily related to sensors and applications, inevitably RS draws from many of the same theories as CV; e.g., statistics, fusion, and machine learning, to name a few. This means that the RS community should be aware of, if not at the leading edge of, of advancements like DL. Herein, we provide the most comprehensive survey of state-of-the-art RS DL research. We also review recent new developments in the DL field that can be used in DL for RS. Namely, we focus on theories, tools and challenges for the RS community. Specifically, we focus on unsolved challenges and opportunities as it relates to (i) inadequate data sets, (ii) human-understandable solutions for modelling physical phenomena, (iii) Big Data, (iv) non-traditional heterogeneous data sources, (v) DL architectures and learning algorithms for spectral, spatial and temporal data, (vi) transfer learning, (vii) an improved theoretical understanding of DL systems, (viii) high barriers to entry, and (ix) training and optimizing the DL.Comment: 64 pages, 411 references. To appear in Journal of Applied Remote Sensin

GETNET: A General End-to-end Two-dimensional CNN Framework for Hyperspectral Image Change Detection

Change detection (CD) is an important application of remote sensing, which provides timely change information about large-scale Earth surface. With the emergence of hyperspectral imagery, CD technology has been greatly promoted, as hyperspectral data with the highspectral resolution are capable of detecting finer changes than using the traditional multispectral imagery. Nevertheless, the high dimension of hyperspectral data makes it difficult to implement traditional CD algorithms. Besides, endmember abundance information at subpixel level is often not fully utilized. In order to better handle high dimension problem and explore abundance information, this paper presents a General End-to-end Two-dimensional CNN (GETNET) framework for hyperspectral image change detection (HSI-CD). The main contributions of this work are threefold: 1) Mixed-affinity matrix that integrates subpixel representation is introduced to mine more cross-channel gradient features and fuse multi-source information; 2) 2-D CNN is designed to learn the discriminative features effectively from multi-source data at a higher level and enhance the generalization ability of the proposed CD algorithm; 3) A new HSI-CD data set is designed for the objective comparison of different methods. Experimental results on real hyperspectral data sets demonstrate the proposed method outperforms most of the state-of-the-arts

Application of spectral and spatial indices for specific class identification in Airborne Prism EXperiment (APEX) imaging spectrometer data for improved land cover classification

Hyperspectral remote sensing's ability to capture spectral information of targets in very narrow bandwidths gives rise to many intrinsic applications. However, the major limiting disadvantage to its applicability is its dimensionality, known as the Hughes Phenomenon. Traditional classification and image processing approaches fail to process data along many contiguous bands due to inadequate training samples. Another challenge of successful classification is to deal with the real world scenario of mixed pixels i.e. presence of more than one class within a single pixel. An attempt has been made to deal with the problems of dimensionality and mixed pixels, with an objective to improve the accuracy of class identification. In this paper, we discuss the application of indices to cope with the disadvantage of the dimensionality of the Airborne Prism EXperiment (APEX) hyperspectral Open Science Dataset (OSD) and to improve the classification accuracy using the Possibilistic c–Means (PCM) algorithm. This was used for the formulation of spectral and spatial indices to describe the information in the dataset in a lesser dimensionality. This reduced dimensionality is used for classification, attempting to improve the accuracy of determination of specific classes. Spectral indices are compiled from the spectral signatures of the target and spatial indices have been defined using texture analysis over defined neighbourhoods. The classification of 20 classes of varying spatial distributions was considered in order to evaluate the applicability of spectral and spatial indices in the extraction of specific class information. The classification of the dataset was performed in two stages; spectral and a combination of spectral and spatial indices individually as input for the PCM classifier. In addition to the reduction of entropy, while considering a spectral-spatial indices approach, an overall classification accuracy of 80.50% was achieved, against 65% (spectral indices only) and 59.50% (optimally determined principal component