The author has identified the following significant results. Computer-aided analysis techniques used with aircraft MSS data showed that the spatial resolution was sufficient to recognize each soil mapping unit of the test site. Some difficulties occurred where different soil series were intricately mixed, and this mixture showed as a separate spectral mapping unit, or where the difference between two soils depended on the depth of silty surface material. Analysis of LANDSAT data with computer-aided techniques showed that it was not possible to find spectrally homogeneous soil features of the seven soil series on the 40 ha test site on the digital display or on a picture print map. Cluster techniques could be used on an extended test area to group spectrally similar data points into cluster classes

Baumgardner, M. F.

Kristof, S. J.

Stoner, E. R.

Zachary, A. L.

English

NASA Technical Reports Server

Comparing soil boundaries delineated by digital analysis of multispectral scanner data from high and low spatial resolution systems

Aircraft and Landsat data were used with computer-aided techniques to delineate soils patterns of a field of 40 ha in a transition zone between soils developed under deciduous forest and those developed under prairie vegetation. Two computer-aided classification techniques, supervised and nonsupervised, were employed in classifying soils of the study area. The means and covariance matrix statistics were obtained for every cluster or soil class through the statistics algorithm. Each cluster of aircraft and Landsat data was identified and assigned to a specific soil type by correlating the cluster soil patterns with a standard soils map of the test site which was prepared as a part of the ground observation task. A sampling grid plan was used to select a training set for a supervised classification of the aircraft MSS data. The spectral soil patterns revealed in the classifications from aircraft and satellite MSS data resembled the general patterns of the soils of the conventionally prepared soil map. The spatial resolution of the aircraft scanner was adequate to recognize each soil type boundary in the test site. However, the limited spatial resolution of the satellite scanner made it difficult to delineate those soil features with widths less than the spatial resolution of the scanner. On the contrary those soil patterns which were broad enough to exceed the spatial resolution of the Landsat scanner were delineated very well

Kristoff, S. J.

Baumgardner, Marion F.

Stoner, Eric R.

Purdue E-Pubs

Comparing Soil Boundaries Delineated by Digital Analysis of Multispectral Scanner Data from High and Low Spatial Resolution Systems

Comparing soil boundaries delineated by digital analysis of multispectral scanner data from high and low spatial resolution systems

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

NASA Technical Reports Server

Purdue E-Pubs