Generation of the NIR Spectral Band for Satellite Images with Convolutional Neural Networks

The near-infrared (NIR) spectral range (from 780 to 2500 nm) of the multispectral remote sensing imagery provides vital information for landcover classification, especially concerning vegetation assessment. Despite the usefulness of NIR, it does not always accomplish common RGB. Modern achievements in image processing via deep neural networks make it possible to generate artificial spectral information, for example, to solve the image colorization problem. In this research, we aim to investigate whether this approach can produce not only visually similar images but also an artificial spectral band that can improve the performance of computer vision algorithms for solving remote sensing tasks. We study the use of a generative adversarial network (GAN) approach in the task of the NIR band generation using only RGB channels of high-resolution satellite imagery. We evaluate the impact of a generated channel on the model performance to solve the forest segmentation task. Our results show an increase in model accuracy when using generated NIR compared to the baseline model, which uses only RGB (0.947 and 0.914 F1-scores, respectively). The presented study shows the advantages of generating the extra band such as the opportunity to reduce the required amount of labeled data

Augmentation-Based Methodology for Enhancement of Trees Map Detalization on a Large Scale

Remote sensing tasks play a very important role in the domain of sensing and measuring, and can be very specific. Advances in computer vision techniques allow for the extraction of various information from remote sensing satellite imagery. This information is crucial in making quantitative and qualitative assessments for monitoring of forest clearing in protected areas for power lines, as well as for environmental analysis, in particular for making assessments of carbon footprint, which is a highly relevant task. Solving these problems requires precise segmentation of the forest mask. Although forest mask extraction from satellite data has been considered previously, no open-access applications are able to provide the high-detailed forest mask. Detailed forest masks are usually obtained using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) that set particular limitations such as cost and inapplicability for vast territories. In this study, we propose a novel neural network-based approach for high-detailed forest mask creation. We implement an object-based augmentation technique for a minimum amount of labeled high-detailed data. Using this augmented data we fine-tune the models, which are trained on a large forest dataset with less precise labeled masks. The provided algorithm is tested for multiple territories in Russia. The F1-score, for small details (such as individual trees) was improved to 0.929 compared to the baseline score of 0.856. The developed model is available in an SAAS platform. The developed model allows a detailed and precise forest mask to be easily created, which then be used for solving various applied problems

Augmentation-Based Methodology for Enhancement of Trees Map Detalization on a Large Scale

Remote sensing tasks play a very important role in the domain of sensing and measuring, and can be very specific. Advances in computer vision techniques allow for the extraction of various information from remote sensing satellite imagery. This information is crucial in making quantitative and qualitative assessments for monitoring of forest clearing in protected areas for power lines, as well as for environmental analysis, in particular for making assessments of carbon footprint, which is a highly relevant task. Solving these problems requires precise segmentation of the forest mask. Although forest mask extraction from satellite data has been considered previously, no open-access applications are able to provide the high-detailed forest mask. Detailed forest masks are usually obtained using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) that set particular limitations such as cost and inapplicability for vast territories. In this study, we propose a novel neural network-based approach for high-detailed forest mask creation. We implement an object-based augmentation technique for a minimum amount of labeled high-detailed data. Using this augmented data we fine-tune the models, which are trained on a large forest dataset with less precise labeled masks. The provided algorithm is tested for multiple territories in Russia. The F1-score, for small details (such as individual trees) was improved to 0.929 compared to the baseline score of 0.856. The developed model is available in an SAAS platform. The developed model allows a detailed and precise forest mask to be easily created, which then be used for solving various applied problems