Digital Commons Network^™

A Case For Standardized Test Sites, Charles E. Olson

LARS Symposia

Continued progress in remote sensing can be fostered by more standardized test procedures. Standardized test sites, including sites with totally enumerated populations, have particular advantages in testing sampling and modeling methods. Due to the multitude of purposes for using remote sensor data, it is unlikely that any single test site can meet needs of all users.

Effects Of Resolution Versus Speckle In Spaceborne Radar Image Interpretation: A Geologic-User Based Analysis, J. P. Ford

LARS Symposia

Discrimination of geologic targets on synthetic- aperture radar (SAR) images is governed to a large degree by the ground resolution, the image speckle, and the range of contrast on the images. Holding the image contrast constant a survey was made of the effects of ground resolution versus speckle relative to discrimination and interpretability of Earth terrane features. Seasat SAR data of three different test sites were used to simulate thirteen combinations of range resolution, azimuth resolution and speckle (Table 1).

Contextual Classification Of Multispectral Image Data: An Unbiased Estimator For The Context Distribution, James C. Tilton, Philip H. Swain, Stephen B. Vardeman

LARS Symposia

Recent investigations have demonstrated the effectiveness of a contextual classifier that combines spatial and spectral information employing a general statistical approach. This statistical classification algorithm exploits the tendency of certain groundcover classes to occur more frequently in some spatial contexts than in others. Indeed, a key input to this algorithm is a statistical characterization of the context: the context distribution. Here we discuss an unbiased estimator of the context distribution which, besides having the advantage of statistical unbiasedness, has the additional advantage over other estimation techniques of being amenable to an adaptive implementation in which the context distribution estimate varies …

Multitemporal Segmentation By Means Of Fuzzy Sets, Robert Jeansoulin, Yves Fontaine, Werner Frei

LARS Symposia

A remote sensing user does not photointerprete image pixels, but entities. Therefore, there is a segmentation processing, previous to the recognition itself. What we propose in this paper, is to automate the segmentation by using of monospectral, multispectral and multitemporal properties, measured by several criteria. The combination of these criteria is performed by means of tools of the fuzzy sets theory. A designated entity is automatically segmented by combining a sequence of criteria in order to converge towards the final decision without any thresholding, weighing, . . .

The ready access to the multitemporal data belonging to a same designated …

Forestry As A Technology Driver, Arch Park

LARS Symposia

Remote sensing in forestry has always provided a severe challenge to the sensor/platform hardware. It combines high resolution requirements, in real time, from a variety of platforms with a requirement for spectral precision and cartographic accuracy. Few if any other applications can, by themselves, create such a worst case scenario. The paper looks at the past, present and future technology demands of forestry.

Remote Sensing: Its Role In Meeting Information Needs, Richard S. Driscoll

LARS Symposia

The Resources Planning Act, as amended by the National Forest Management Act, the Resources Conservation Act, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, all require periodic assessments and appraisals of the renewable resource situation and the development of action plans to accomplish efficient and effective resource management. These assessments and appraisals occur at 5-10 year intervals. They require continuous updating of the renewable resource situations obtained through inventory of which remote sensing must play a significant role.

Generally, information requirements for renewable resource assessments include: (1) area, extent, geographic location, and structure of vegetation types; (2) ecological successional stages …

Applications Of Remote Sensing Techniques To Update The Forest Inventory Data Base In British Columbia, F. Hegyi, R. V. Quenet

LARS Symposia

The Inventory Branch of the Ministry of Forests is required to develop, compile and maintain the inventory of forests and range resources on all crown lands in the Province, including the management of the data base, the annual update of resource maps and associated data files, the collection of growth and yield statistics, the estimation of decay, waste and breakage, and the continuous monitoring of forest depletion. The Branch is also charged with assessing the actual potential effects of changing patterns of land use and any resulting shifts: in environmental values.

This paper describes the applications of remote sensing and …

Use Of An Apple Computer To Identify Vegetation And Assess The Coverage Within Single Landsat Pixels, Haven C. Sweet

LARS Symposia

Conventional image analyzing techniques are inaccurate when applied to Landsat data obtained from highly heterogeneous regions. In much of Florida, plant communities occupy small areas with erratic boundaries, meaning that most Landsat pixels represent a mixture of several different plant formations. This is especially true when studying an alien tree such as Melaleuca which is expanding its range by infiltrating a variety of plant communities. This paper describes development of a technique for using a personal computer to identify and quantify the major communities (plus sand and water) within a single pixel, and applies it to attempts to inventory the …

Correcting For Anisotropic Reflectances In Remotely Sensed Images From Mountainous Terrains, Heinz Hugli, Werner Frei

LARS Symposia

Remotely sensed images from mountainous terrains are subject to important radiometric variations which we desire to correct. A quantitative analysis of a remote sensing model is presented and the different aspects of radiometric correction are overviewed. A computer simulation is performed in order to better understand the combined effects of anisotropic reflectance characteristics and variable surface orientations, as encountered in remote sensing of mountainous terrains covered with vegetation. The results illustrate typical reflectance effects and show that the possibilities for a radiometrical correction are limited. This is due to the practical difficulty of exactly determining all reflection properties in a …

Problems On Data Structuration About Paleontological Collections, Daniel Pajaud, Marie-Jose Roulet

LARS Symposia

The paleontological collections of the University Pierre et Marie Curie (more than 800 000 samples, 4 x 10^6 data) present a complex structure relevant to nine themes: Classification, Stratigraphy, Geography, Environment, Paleontological Material, Collecting, Bibliography, Storage, Exploitation. The complexity of the data requires a sophisticated model of data structure for archiving in a data bank.

Acceptability On Non-Library/Information Science Publications In The Promotion And Tenure Of Academic Librarians, Priscilla Geahigan, Harriet Nelson, E. Stewart Saunders, Lawrence Woods

Libraries Research Publications

If library/information science is a true academic discipline, then academic librarians must reevaluate the acceptability of publications in other fields if they are to be considered academic faculty members in the field of library/ information science. This was perceived to be the issue by the Purdue University Library faculty when they altered the tenure and promotion document to require that consideration for promotion and tenure be based on publication in library/information science. The issue has been raised by the growing number of librarians with non-library/information science Ph.D.s who prefer to publish in the area of their Ph.D. A survey of …

Alternatives To The Shelflist Measure For Determining The Size Of A Subject Collection, E. Stewart Saunders, Harriet Nelson, Priscilla Geahigan

Libraries Research Publications

The adequacy of the shelflist count for estimating the size of a library’s holdings in a discipline was tested by determining the percentage of titles in five disciplines which were classified in Dewey or LC classes reflecting those disciplines. For some disciplines, the percentage of titles which were not classified in the relevant class letters or numbers ran as high as 70 and 80 percent. Two methods for correcting inaccurate shelflist counts are presented.

Design And Evaluation Of A Pick-Up Truck Mounted Boom For Elevation Of A Multiband Radiometer System, R. Tsuchida

LARS Technical Reports

The following report describes the design process for developing the boom required for support of a multiband radiometer. Three concepts were considered for the boom design: a one-piece boom with a trolley, a folding boom, and a telescoping boom. The telescoping boom was selected over the other two concepts because of its easy manual operation. The boom is designed to mount of the bed of a pick-up and elevated the radiometer system 8 meters above the ground and 4 meters away from the truck. The selection of the boom components is discussed with justification of the final choice. Results of …

Image Processing For Cartographic Applications, M. H. Loew, R. L. Pickholtz, L. Goldman

LARS Symposia

The goal of classifying objects of cartographic interest in aerial photographs was approached using techniques from pattern recognition and image processing. Bridge and airport images were chosen as the initial objects of interest and segments of photographs containing them were digitized for the data base. Edge-detection and Hough transform algorithms identified structures as candidate bridges; additional decision logic (using global contrast and other attributes) further reduced the set. Results indicate the feasibility and low computational cost of the approach.

Techniques For Evaluation Of Area Estimates, Marilyn M. Hixson

LARS Symposia

Since the launch of the first Landsat satellite in 1972, satellite remote sensing has been increasingly recognized as a tool for mapping and area estimation of earth resources. The Landsat MSS records a region on the ground about one acre (0.5 ha) in size. This provides a good spatial resolution for mapping purposes, and Landsat data have been used for mapping such characteristics as general land use and soil type. Estimation of the areal extent of a feature has been a key use of Landsat data. The primary uses for area estimation have been in agriculture with crop and forest …

Extraction Of Geological Lineaments From Landsat Imagery By Using Local Variance And Gradient Trend, S. R. Xu, C. C. Li, N. K. Flint

LARS Symposia

A method for computer extraction of geological lineaments from LANDSAT images is presented. The variance thresholded map of each image is separated into eight gradient direction maps, where basic linear segments are determined each of which is based on the principal eigen vector of a cluster of pixels whose gradient direction is orthogonal to its orientation. A special linking algorithm operates on the basic linear segments to give a candidate lineament segment. The method has been experimented on LANDSAT images of a small region southwest to Pittsburgh. The preliminary result is encouraging and further work for improvement is suggested.

Alternative Approaches For Utilizing Landsat Data To Address Forest And Range Applications, Frank G. Sadowski

LARS Symposia

The use of maximum likelihood classification for mapping vegetation species with Landsat presupposes that a desired set of forest or range cover type conditions can be uniquely specified in multispectral measurement space. However, frequent occurrence of less than optimal classification results indicates that such an assumption is often not realized. More effective use of Landsat data may be realized through alternative approaches to addressing forest and range information needs.

The basic tenet of this paper is to suggest that the development and use of remote sensing technology can be advanced by developing alternative approaches to interpreting and processing Landsat data. …

An Evaluation Of Isocls And Classy Clustering Algorithms For Forest Classification In Northern Idaho, Lee F. Werth

LARS Symposia

This paper represents one of many studies funded under AgRISTARS to determine how Landsat can contribute to the Forest Service's Renewable Resource Inventory effort as mandated by the National Forest Management Act of 1976. The specific objective of this study was to test clustering algorithms used at Johnson Space Flight Center - ISOCLS and CLASSY.

Problems In Temperature Estimation From Remotely Sensed Thermal Ir Data, S. Fujimura, H. Toyota, M. Inamura, H. Hanaizumi, T. Yokota

LARS Symposia

Through the comparison between temperatures estimated from remotely sensed data and those actually measured, we discuss causes of discrepancy between them. We apply regression analysis to the data and pay particular attention to regression coefficient which as a shole represents causes for the error. The coefficient obtained by taking ground truth data as independent variables and estimated temperatures as dependent variables tends to be less than 1. Atmospheric effect on the coefficient is studied, being based on a simple model. Vertical temperature profile, another possible cause for the tendency, is also discussed on the basis of laboratory experiments.

Evaluation Of Usda Large Area Crop Estimation Techniques, M. L. Amis, R. K. Lennington, M. V. Martin, W. G. Mcguire, S. S. Shen

LARS Symposia

The USDA's EDITOR system registers and digitizes the ground truth and raw Landsat data, clusters, classifies, and develops area estimates by regressing the ground truth hectarage onto the number of pixels classified per segment (a sampling unit of one square mile). A research program was conducted to evaluate the performance of EDITOR and make selected improvements to components of EDITOR. It was found that the use of multitemporal data over unitemporal significantly improved crop hectarage estimates. Performance measures on an independent test set and a jackknifed test set decreased, indicating that the current procedure of using a single data set …

Complete Lineament Extraction With The Aid Of Shadow-Free Landsat Image, Kiyonari Fukue, Haruhisa Shimoda, Toshibumi Sakata

LARS Symposia

LANDSAT images are most useful for geological lineament extraction, especially for large-scale lineaments. However, because of the nature of the LANDSAT orbit, there are almost no lineaments in the same direction as the sun angle. In this report, a new technique which can generate virtual LANDSAT images with any sun directions is described.

In order to eliminate shadows from the original LANDSAT image, a shadow-free land cover classification was first applied. Shadow areas were classified into four categories using spectral features. Pixel values in each categories of the original image were scaled to the values of corresponding categories in no-shadow …

Registration Of Digital Imageries Using Optimization Technique, A. D. Kulkarni, B. L. Deekshatulu, K. R. Rao

LARS Symposia

Registration is an important aspect of any image processing system. Registration may be interpreted as automatic determination of local similarity between two structured data sets. Several digital techniques have been used for registration. Principal among these are cross-correlation, normalized cross-correlation and minimum distance criteria. Fast algorithms like sequential similarity detection for translational differences have been developed. In all the above methods, a portion of one image is taken as reference and similar portion in the other image is located by carrying out a search over the other image. There may be translational, rotational and scale differences between the two imageries. …

Pintails And Pixels: A Potential Application Of Landsat Technology To Waterfowl Habitat Inventory, T. G. Neraasen, A. J. Macaulay, R. P. Mroczynski

LARS Symposia

An integrated resource inventory program involving Ducks Unlimited (Canada), Purdue University (LARS), Interdisciplinary Systems Limited (Canada) and the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing is described. The objective is to test the feasibility and operational capability of applying over a wide area, Landsat data classification techniques in order to identify, map and measure the areal extent and relative quality of waterfowl breeding habitat, primarily in the Prairie Pothole Region of Canada.

Ducks Unlimited (Canada) is a private, nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to preservation of wetlands in Canada. The Prairie Pothole Region of the southern prairie provinces is the focus of our …

The Use Of Landsat Data In An Operational Forest Resource Information System (Fris), F. E. Goodrick

LARS Symposia

The recent implementation of the Forest Resource Information System has provided the capability of combining classifications of Landsat data with graphical and tabular data in an operational data base system for use in forest management. Landsat data is in gridded format and is not compatible with map or graphical information which is in polygon and line format. In this system, the gridded Landsat classifications are converted to polygons and added to the data base as another layer of information.

Classifications are created with a modified LARSYS software package which has been installed at the corporate national computer facility in Dallas, …

A New Approach To Automatic Identification Of Ground Objects Via The Reflectance Look-Up Tables, Y. Kawata, T. Kusaka, Y. Haba, S. Ueno

LARS Symposia

In the present study we describe a method to estimate the optical thickness of the atmospheric haze. A true surface reflectance data set is obtained from a LANDSAT data set by using the Atmospheric Effect Correction System developed at Kanazawa Institute of Technology. A data base of classes of land covers containing the statistical information on the spectral reflectance is constructed from true surface reflectance data sets. Finally a new and powerful table look-up approach in classification is described and the results are presented.

Forcing Functions And Geo-Referenced Information Systems, Roy Chung

LARS Symposia

The geographical information system is viewed as a macro-system composed of a set of interlocking sub-systems. First, there is a conceptual system of ideas, which is then mapped onto a system whose components include data, hardware, and software. In the process the data are transformed into information which then becomes input for a planning system whose components include spatial and non-spatial models. This paper explicitly proposes the system concept of Forcing Functions as a key concept in G.I.S. planning, design and use. The implications of this approach for current issues such as the geo-coding alternatives, the selection of contents of …

Techniques To Update A Land Management Information System With Landsat, C. A. Nelson, D. E. Meisner, B. Smekofski

LARS Symposia

The Minnesota State Planning Agency has developed a geographically referenced Land Management Information System which is being used extensively for planning purposes. Land use categories in the system were originally coded from aerial photographs; this method is inefficient for updating the large-area data base. Landsat data and many computer-assisted techniques are available to analyze the classification system and to update the land use data base. The data derived from a Landsat analysis could be used to supplement the existing data base and to complement detailed interpretations of aerial photographs.

This study had as its primary objective an evaluation of computer …

Estimation Of Forest Biomass With Remotely Sensed Data, D. G. Goodenough, B. Guindon, P. M. Teillet, J. W. E. Harris, K. Dickinson, J. F. Meunier

LARS Symposia

Extensive research has recently been carried out at the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing to evaluate microwave, visible and infrared sensors for forest inventory and biomass energy estimation. In support of this project, airborne and satellite (LANDSAT) MSS imagery has been acquired over two 8x8 km mountainous sites, Anderson River and Gun Lake, British Columbia. Additional four-channel airborne and one-channel SEASAT SAR data were also available for the Anderson River area.

A first step in our analysis involved rectification of multisensor, multipass imagery to a common map (UTM projection) grid. This was accomplished using a fli flight modelling technique and …

Mechanics Of Monitoring Forest Clearcuts And Their Regeneration, M. S. Gregory, S. J. Walsh, Jan Vitek

LARS Symposia

A framework for the identification and monitoring of forest clearcuts and their regeneration is presented. LANDSAT digital data are classified to detect clearcuts and their major regeneration components, including brush, grass, bare soil, and conifer. Historical LANDSAT digital data are used to provide a change detection analysis of forest conditions. Area summaries of land cover are obtained for the entire study area or for subunits. A graphic digitizer is used to provide an overlay to the LANDSAT, digital land cover classification in order to summarize land cover area by physical and/or political boundaries. Individual clearcuts are analyzed within each summary …

Broad Area Forest Fuels And Topography Mapping Using Digital Landsat And Terrain Data, Mark B. Shasby, Robert R. Burgan, Gregg R. Johnson

LARS Symposia

A spatially registered digital data base of fuels and terrain information was generated for a test site on the Lolo National Forest in Montana. The data base was developed specifically for providing spatially relevant data to a mathematical fire behavior model developed by the Forest Service which integrates this information along with current weather data to produce realistic estimates of probable fire behavior.

Methodologies for the processing and analysis of Landsat MSS and digital terrain data for the mapping of U.S. Forest Service fuel types were developed and demonstrated. Key elements in the mapping process were the development of a …