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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
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- Keyword
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- Remote sensing (5)
- Landsat (3)
- MODIS (3)
- Aboveground biomass (2)
- Fire (2)
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- Land Surface Phenology (2)
- Land use change (2)
- Soybean (2)
- Woody encroachment (2)
- Address point data (1)
- Aerial photographs (1)
- Africa (1)
- Agricultural geography (1)
- Agricultural land area (1)
- Anthropogenic impact (1)
- Balsam fir Lidar (1)
- Big Sioux River basin (1)
- Biochar (1)
- Biogeochemical model (1)
- Biogeography (1)
- Biomass burning (1)
- Bird species richness (1)
- Black Hills ecoregion (1)
- Burkina Faso (1)
- Carbon cycle (1)
- Central Asia (1)
- Change (1)
- City of Cape Coral (1)
- Classification of Landcover (1)
- Climate change (1)
Articles 1 - 30 of 34
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Impacts Of Land Cover Change On Urban Heat Island (Uhi) In Denver From 1985 To 2020, Sadia Islam Ritu
Impacts Of Land Cover Change On Urban Heat Island (Uhi) In Denver From 1985 To 2020, Sadia Islam Ritu
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Rapid urbanization due to land use and land cover change has become one of the major problems in the fastest-growing cities during the past few decades. Land surface temperature has changed dramatically due to urban expansion, and it is a major driver of urban eco-environmental change. Increasing temperature leads to the Urban Heat Island (UHI) problem in rapidly growing cities like Denver, contributing to global warming at multiple scales. UHI study is significant to monitor and mitigate the urban heat islandrelated problem in the study area Denver. Satellite remote sensing analysis ready data (ARD) with 30 m resolution based on …
Feasibility Of Earthships As Sustainable Homes In Brookings County, South Dakota, Whitney Sunkwah Yeboah
Feasibility Of Earthships As Sustainable Homes In Brookings County, South Dakota, Whitney Sunkwah Yeboah
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Addressing the issue of housing deficit while providing affordable and sustainable homes is a significant problem in the United States today. This has prompted architects to design homes with less adverse environmental impacts despite their affordability, hence the birth of sustainable housing. Earthships are sustainable homes built from recycled materials, utilize solar or wind energy, and function as self-sufficient units. The study's main aim is to assess residents' perceptions of earthships and their willingness to adopt earthships in Brookings County, South Dakota. The research employs online surveys to garner data from residents, and data are analyzed using mixed methods. Results …
Fire Emissions In The Tropical Indonesia: Improved Estimation And Driving Forces Investigation, Xiaoman Lu
Fire Emissions In The Tropical Indonesia: Improved Estimation And Driving Forces Investigation, Xiaoman Lu
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Indonesia has experienced frequent fires since the 1970s due to large-scale peatland conversion and extensive drainage for agricultural development. Fire emissions released from these fires have led to Indonesia being the world’s 3rd largest emitter of greenhouse gases in certain years. Given that fire emissions severely affect climate, weather, and the human environment, numerous approaches have been developed to estimate fire emissions. However, existing emission estimates differ largely by a factor of four in this tropical country because of frequent cloud interferences and low-temperature smoldering fires. Therefore, this dissertation aims to improve the quantification of Indonesian fire emissions through enhanced …
Using Structure Location Data To Map The Wildland-Urban Interface In Montana, Usa, Alexander R. Ketchpaw
Using Structure Location Data To Map The Wildland-Urban Interface In Montana, Usa, Alexander R. Ketchpaw
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The increasing wildfire activity and rapid population growth in the wildfire-urban interface (WUI) make more Americans exposed to wildfire risk. WUI mapping plays a significant role in wildfire management. This study used the Microsoft building footprint (MBF) and the Montana address/structure framework datasets to map the WUI in Montana. A systematic comparison of the following three types of WUI was performed: the WUI maps derived from the Montana address/structure framework dataset (WUI-P), the WUI maps derived from derived from the MBF dataset (WUI-S), and the Radeloff WUI map derived from census data (WUI-Z). The results show that WUI-S and WUI-P …
Sea Level Rise Impacts On The City Of Cape Coral, Southwest Florida From 2020 To 2050, Jawata Afnan Saba
Sea Level Rise Impacts On The City Of Cape Coral, Southwest Florida From 2020 To 2050, Jawata Afnan Saba
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Sea level rise, a consequence of global climate change, has been affecting the U.S. coasts with flooding and exacerbated storm surges. Florida is highly vulnerable because it has low-lying topography and coastlines on both the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. The City of Cape Coral, Southwest Florida, is known as a ‘waterfront wonderland’ with 400 miles of canals that provide waterfront property to the residents. Most of the canals are navigable, and many have access to the Gulf of Mexico. The city is vulnerable to sea level rise because of its canals, site between the Matlacha Pass and …
Using New And Long-Term Multi-Scale Remotely Sensed Data To Detect Recurrent Fires And Quantify Their Relationship To Land Cover/Use In Indonesian Peatlands, Yenni Vetrita
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Indonesia has committed to reducing its greenhouse gases emissions by 29% (potentially up to 41% with international assistance) by 2030. Achieving those targets requires many efforts but, in particular, controlling the fire problem in Indonesia’s peatlands is paramount, since it is unlikely to diminish on its own in the coming decades. This study was conducted in Sumatra and Kalimantan peatlands in Indonesia. Four MODIS-derived products (MCD45A1 collection 5.1, MCD64A1 (collection 5.1 and 6), FireCCI51) were initially assessed to explore long-term fire frequency and land use/cover change relationships. The results indicated the product(s) could only detect half of the fires accurately. …
Use And Improvement Of Remote Sensing And Geospatial Technologies In Support Of Crop Area And Yield Estimations In The West African Sahel, Kaboro Samasse
Use And Improvement Of Remote Sensing And Geospatial Technologies In Support Of Crop Area And Yield Estimations In The West African Sahel, Kaboro Samasse
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
In arid and semi-arid West Africa, agricultural production and regional food security depend largely on small-scale subsistence farming and rainfed crops, both of which are vulnerable to climate variability and drought. Efforts made to improve crop monitoring and our ability to estimate crop production (areas planted and yield estimations by crop type) in the major agricultural zones of the region are critical paths for minimizing climate risks and to support food security planning. The main objective of this dissertation research was to contribute to these efforts using remote sensing technologies. In this regard, the first analysis documented the low reliability …
Burning With Potential: Understanding The Relationship Between Biochar And Agriculture Of The Northern Glaciated Plains Ecoregion, Kaitlyn Abrahamson
Burning With Potential: Understanding The Relationship Between Biochar And Agriculture Of The Northern Glaciated Plains Ecoregion, Kaitlyn Abrahamson
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Achieving global sustainable agriculture is one of the most incredible challenges of this century, yet many continue to try to solve this problem through the development of precision technologies. Biotechnologies, such as biochar, can perform like a precision technology while protecting agricultural land from soil erosion and fertility loss. The Northern Glaciated Plains ecoregion of the United States is little researched in the benefits from the use of biochar through improved soil nutrient capture and water retention, crop health improvements, and yield increases. The study plot has four sections of corn stover biochar and eight sections of control sections. This …
Responses Of Land Surface Phenology To Wildfire Disturbances In The Western United States Forests, Jianmin Wang
Responses Of Land Surface Phenology To Wildfire Disturbances In The Western United States Forests, Jianmin Wang
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Land surface phenology (LSP) characterizes the seasonal dynamics in the vegetation communities observed for a satellite pixel and it has been widely associated with global climate change. However, LSP and its long-term trend can be influenced by land disturbance events, which could greatly interrupt the LSP responses to climate change. Wildfire is one of the main disturbance agents in the western United States (US) forests, but its impacts on LSP have not been investigated yet. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the LSP responses to wildfires in the western US forests, this dissertation focused on three research objectives: (1) to …
Biophysical And Socioeconomic Impacts Of Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration In Burkina Faso, Basnewende Brice Fulgence Zoungrana
Biophysical And Socioeconomic Impacts Of Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration In Burkina Faso, Basnewende Brice Fulgence Zoungrana
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Human actions such as overgrazing, the development of cities at the expense of forests, high intensity and poor agricultural management, and so forth, reduce the resources available for future generations. Because Earth has limited resources, it is important to judiciously use and manage natural resources. Human actions towards nature are the focus of my research in Africa. Increased demands for grazing, agriculture, and ecosystem services led some farmers in developing countries to use unsustainable practices, which may lead to low incomes and poor food nutrition for households. Farmer managed natural regeneration (FMNR) may be a solution to these issues. FMNR …
How Are Interannual Variations Of Land Surface Phenology In The Highland Pastures Of Kyrgyzstan Modulated By Terrain, Snow Cover Seasonality, And Climate Oscillations? An Investigation Using Multi-Source Remote Sensing Data, Monika Anna Tomaszewska
How Are Interannual Variations Of Land Surface Phenology In The Highland Pastures Of Kyrgyzstan Modulated By Terrain, Snow Cover Seasonality, And Climate Oscillations? An Investigation Using Multi-Source Remote Sensing Data, Monika Anna Tomaszewska
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
In the semiarid, continental climates of montane Central Asia, with its constant moisture deficit and low relative humidity, agropastoralism constitutes the foundation of the rural economy. In Kyrgyzstan, an impoverished, landlocked republic in Central Asia, herders of the highlands practice vertical transhumance—the annual movement of livestock to higher elevation pastures to take advantage of seasonally available forage resources. Dependency on pasture resource availability during the short mountain growing season makes herds and herders susceptible to changing weather and climate patterns. This dissertation focuses on using remote sensing observations over the highland pastures in Kyrgyzstan to address five interrelated topics: (i) …
Land Cover Changes Within And Around Protected Areas In Côte D’Ivoire From 1986 To 2017: A Case Study Of The Mabi-Yaya-Songan-Tamin Reserved Forests, Olena Boiko
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Tropical forests mitigate climate change, provide habitat for the most biologically diverse terrestrial communities, and yield ecosystem services that support human wellbeing. These forests are some of the most threatened ecosystems because of the increasing human impact on the environment. Côte d’Ivoire has one of the highest deforestation rates in sub-Saharan Africa, and the expansion of agriculture to produce cash crops, such as cocoa and rubber, is presented as the primary reason for forest loss. These changes are apparent even within the boundaries of the protected areas, which raises concerns about the effectiveness of the protection strategies. This project illustrates …
Tropical Forest Canopy Height And Aboveground Biomass Estimation Using Airborne Lidar And Landsat-8 Data, A Sensitivity Study With Respect To Landsat-8 Data Temporal Availability, In Mai Ndombe Province, Democratic Republic Of Congo, Herve B. Kashongwe
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Tropical forests’ structure information, such as forest canopy height, is a key component in any estimate of carbon stock. Tropical rainforests constitute the most forested ecosystems that harbor the largest biodiversity on Earth and store more carbon (above and belowground biomass) than any other ecosystem in the world. However, estimates of forest canopy structure is lacking over most of the regions that host this ecosystem because of both the structure’s complexity of this ecosystems and the incomplete or lack of up-to-date national forest inventory data necessary to derive forest canopy height and aboveground biomass. This study explores the capability of …
Classification Of North Africa For Use As An Extended Pseudo Invariant Calibration Sites (Epics) For Radiometric Calibration And Stability Monitoring Of Optical Satellite Sensors, Mahesh Shrestha
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
An increasing number of Earth-observing satellite sensors are being launched to meet the insatiable demand for timely and accurate data to help the understanding of the Earth’s complex systems and to monitor significant changes to them. The quality of data recorded by these sensors is a primary concern, as it critically depends on accurate radiometric calibration for each sensor. Pseudo Invariant Calibration Sites (PICS) have been extensively used for radiometric calibration and temporal stability monitoring of optical satellite sensors. Due to limited knowledge about the radiometric stability of North Africa, only a limited number of sites in the region are …
Characterizing Spatiotemporal Patterns Of White Mold In Soybean Across South Dakota Using Remote Sensing, Confiance L. Mfuka
Characterizing Spatiotemporal Patterns Of White Mold In Soybean Across South Dakota Using Remote Sensing, Confiance L. Mfuka
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Soybean is among the most important crops, cultivated primarily for beans, which are used for food, feed, and biofuel. According to FAO, the United States was the biggest soybeans producer in 2016. The main soybean producing regions in the United States are the Corn Belt and the lower Mississippi Valley. Despite its importance, soybean production is reduced by several diseases, among which Sclerotinia stem rot, also known as white mold, a fungal disease that is caused by the fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is among the top 10 soybean diseases. The disease may attack several plants and considerably reduce yield. According to …
Augmenting Land Cover/Land Use Classification By Incorporating Information From Land Surface Phenology: An Application To Quantify Recent Cropland Expansion In South Dakota, Lan Hoang Nguyen
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Understanding rapid land change in the U.S. NGP region is not only critical for management and conservation of prairie habitats and ecosystem services, but also for projecting production of crops and biofuels and the impacts of land conversion on water quality and rural transportation infrastructure. Hence, it raises the need for an LCLU dataset with good spatiotemporal coverage as well as consistent accuracy through time to enable change analysis. This dissertation aims (1) to develop a novel classification method, which utilizes time series images from comparable sensors, from the perspective of land surface phenology, and (2) to apply the land …
The Impacts Of Land Use And Land Cover Change On Water Quality In The Big Sioux River: 2007-2016, Dinesh Shrestha
The Impacts Of Land Use And Land Cover Change On Water Quality In The Big Sioux River: 2007-2016, Dinesh Shrestha
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Between 2006 and 2012, conversion of 485,000 acres of grassland to cropland in eastern South Dakota was reported. In 2012, the Big Sioux River (BSR) running through most of eastern South Dakota was listed among the dirtiest rivers in the nation. This rating convinced state authorities to study trends of land cover changes in the BSR watershed and its association with BSR water quality with respect to increases in nitrate levels. This research i) quantifies spatial and temporal changes in the land cover types within the BSR watershed, and ii) identifies any correlation between these changes and changes in BSR …
Quantification Of Understory Fuels In The Superior National Forest Using Lidar Data, Jeffrey R. Irwin
Quantification Of Understory Fuels In The Superior National Forest Using Lidar Data, Jeffrey R. Irwin
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Fire is a natural part of the ecosystems in the Great Lakes region. Several factors including harvesting, insect outbreaks, and fire suppression have had an impact on these ecosystems. Of particular concern is the rise in the proportion of shade tolerant species, such as balsam fir. Because of its resinous bark and easily ignited needles, balsam fir is flammable. Additionally, balsam fir is vulnerable to spruce budworm infestation, which leads to additional fuel loading from needle cast. Detecting increases in fire risk is important to fire managers in Superior National Forest for many reasons. Determining the amount and extent of …
Mapping And Risk Assessment Of Juniper Encroachment Into A Prairie Landscape, Kyle D. Kaskie
Mapping And Risk Assessment Of Juniper Encroachment Into A Prairie Landscape, Kyle D. Kaskie
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Juniper encroachment is a considerable threat to the prairie ecosystems of the Great Plains because it has the potential to alter native grasslands by changing soil characteristics, limiting herbaceous biomass, and hindering native community regeneration. Accurate maps of juniper cover and predictions of areas at risk for future expansion are needed to support proactive management measures. Therefore, our objectives are to: (1) Develop a practical workflow for large-scale juniper mapping using Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) imagery and partial unmixing techniques, (2) Compare the classification accuracies from the resulting map based on different juniper density thresholds and different types …
A Study Of African Savanna Vegetation Structure, Patterning, And Change, Christoffer R. Axelsson
A Study Of African Savanna Vegetation Structure, Patterning, And Change, Christoffer R. Axelsson
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
African savannas cover roughly half of the continent, are home to a great diversity of wildlife, and provide ecosystem services to large populations. Savannas showcase a great diversity in vegetation structure, resulting from variation in climatic, edaphic, topographic, and biological factors. Fires play a large role as savannas are the most frequently burned ecosystems on Earth. To study how savanna vegetation structure shifts with environmental factors, it is necessary to gather site data covering the full gradient of climatic and edaphic conditions. Several earlier studies have used coarse resolution satellite remote sensing data to study variation in woody cover. These …
Satellite Remote Sensing Of Woody And Herbaceous Leaf Area For Improved Understanding Of Forage Resources And Fire In Africa, Milkah Njoki Kahiu
Satellite Remote Sensing Of Woody And Herbaceous Leaf Area For Improved Understanding Of Forage Resources And Fire In Africa, Milkah Njoki Kahiu
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) tree-grass systems commonly referred to as savannas dominating drylands, play a critical role in social, cultural, economic and environmental systems. These coupled natural-human systems support millions of people through pastoralism, are important global biodiversity hotspots and play a critical role in global biogeochemical cycles. Despite the importance of SSA savannas, they have been marginalized for years as most governments neglect dryland resources in favor of agricultural research and development assistance. Hence, lack of spatially and temporally accurate information on the status and trends in savanna resources has led to poor planning and management. This scenario calls …
Vulnerability Of Protected Areas To Human Encroachment, Climate Change And Fire In The Fragmented Tropical Forests Of West Africa, Francis Kwabena Dwomoh
Vulnerability Of Protected Areas To Human Encroachment, Climate Change And Fire In The Fragmented Tropical Forests Of West Africa, Francis Kwabena Dwomoh
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The Upper Guinean region of West Africa is home to some of the most globally significant tropical biodiversity hotspots, providing ecosystem services that are crucial for the region’s socio-economic and environmental wellbeing. Nonetheless, following decades of human-caused destruction of natural habitats, protected areas currently remain the only significant refugia of original vegetation relics in landscapes that are highly fragmented. Aside from having strong geographic variation in land use, climate, vegetation, and human population, the region has also experienced remarkable biophysical and socio-economic changes in recent decades. All these factors influence the fire regime and the vulnerability of forests within protected …
A Comparison Of Land Use And Land Cover In Public Lands Of The Northwestern Great Plains And High Plains Ecoregions And The Implications For Grassland Birds, Dawn L. Siemonsma
A Comparison Of Land Use And Land Cover In Public Lands Of The Northwestern Great Plains And High Plains Ecoregions And The Implications For Grassland Birds, Dawn L. Siemonsma
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Loss and degradation of grassland habitat are driving forces that contribute to widespread declines of grassland birds in the United States. Many studies have evaluated habitat needs for the conservation of grassland birds, but the relative contribution of public lands in representing and maintaining avian biodiversity remains poorly understood. Having a better understanding of the role that publicly managed grasslands play in the conservation of grassland bird habitat is important for assessing the value of the investment the American public makes in these lands. Therefore, I investigated spatial relations among variations in amounts and distributions of publicly owned and managed …
Russian Real Estate Purchases In Finland, 1990-2016, Mika Hasanen
Russian Real Estate Purchases In Finland, 1990-2016, Mika Hasanen
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Foreign real estate ownership has been a frequent topic in the Finnish public discourse in the 2010s. Real estate purchases by Russian citizens have received lots of negative attention. In this thesis, the spatial distribution of real estate bought by Russians was studied. Purchases between January 1990 and August 2016 were mapped and analyzed using Getis-Ord Gi* hot spot analysis. The home addresses of the buyers were also geocoded to find out where the majority of buyers live, and geodetic distances to their properties were calculated. Buildings on these properties were analyzed to examine motives for the purchases.
Examination Of The Potential Of Structure-From-Motion Photogrammetry And Terrestrial Laser Scanning For Rapid Nondestructive Field Measurement Of Grass Biomass, Sam D. Cooper
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Above ground biomass (AGB) is a parameter commonly used for assessment of grassland systems. While destructive sampling of AGB is highly accurate, it is time consuming and often precludes repeat temporal sampling or sampling in sensitive ecosystems. Consequently, a number of nondestructive techniques that relate grass structural properties to AGB have been developed. This study investigated the application of two recent technologies, Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) and Structurefrom- Motion (SfM), in the development of rapid nondestructive AGB estimation of grassland plots. TLS and SfM volume metrics generated using a rasterized surface differencing method were linearly related to destructively measured total …
Simulating The Impacts Of Land-Use Land-Cover Changes On Cropland Carbon Fluxes In The Midwest Of The United States, Zhengpeng Li
Simulating The Impacts Of Land-Use Land-Cover Changes On Cropland Carbon Fluxes In The Midwest Of The United States, Zhengpeng Li
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Understanding the major drivers of the cropland carbon fluxes is important for carbon management and greenhouse gas mitigation in agriculture. Past studies found that agricultural land-use and land-cover (LULC) changes, such as changes in cropland production technologies, tillage practices, and planted crop species, could have large impacts on carbon fluxes. However, the impacts remain highly uncertain at regional to global scales. Satellite remote sensing is commonly used to create products with geospatial information on LULC changes. This geospatial information can be integrated into biogeochemical models to simulate the spatial and temporal patterns of carbon fluxes. We used the General Ensemble …
Using Remote Sensing And Biogeographic Modeling To Understand The Oak Savannas Of The Sheyenne National Grassland, North Dakota, Usa, Mandira Sigdelphuyal
Using Remote Sensing And Biogeographic Modeling To Understand The Oak Savannas Of The Sheyenne National Grassland, North Dakota, Usa, Mandira Sigdelphuyal
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Oak savannas are valuable and complex ecosystems that provide multiple ecosystem goods and services, including grazing for livestock, watershed regulation, and recreation. These ecosystems of the woodland-prairie ecoregion of the Midwestern United States are, however, in danger of disappearing. The Sheyenne National Grassland, North Dakota, a protected Prairie grassland-savanna, is a representative of such rare habitats, where oak savanna is found at the landscape scale. In this research, I map the distribution patterns of oak savanna in the Sheyenne using a combination of remote sensing and geospatial datasets, including landscape topography, soils, and fire disturbance. Further, I interpret the performance …
Monitoring Global Forest Land-Use And Change, Erik J. Lindquist
Monitoring Global Forest Land-Use And Change, Erik J. Lindquist
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Earth’s forests contain nearly three-fourths of the World’s floral and faunal diversity, function as a large carbon sink capable of mitigating the effects of global climate change, affect local and regional physical and chemical cycles and provide wood and non-wood products. However, humans are now capable of modifying their environment in ways more impactful and at rates faster than at any other time in history. Consistent and comparable estimates of global forest land-use and change are critical for monitoring human impacts on the Earth system. International treaties and reporting requirements aimed at safeguarding the delivery of forest-related ecosystem services depend …
Fire Type Classification In The Brazilian Tropical Moist Forest Biome, Sanath Kumar Sathyachandran
Fire Type Classification In The Brazilian Tropical Moist Forest Biome, Sanath Kumar Sathyachandran
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The Brazilian Tropical Moist Forest Biome (BTMFB) is “Earth’s greatest biological treasure and a major component of the earth system” and forest degradation and deforestation by fire is a serious issue in this region. Fires in the BTMFB can be broadly classified as maintenance, deforestation and forest fire types. Spatially and temporally explicit information on the incidences of fire types are important as they have widely varying atmospheric emissions and ecological impacts. Satellite based remote sensing is a practical means of monitoring the BTMFB that spans almost 4 million km2. However, there has been no way to reliably …
Evaluation And Application Of A New Shape-Sensitive Metric Useful For Characterizing Both Spectral Curves And Lidar Waveforms, Eric Ariel L. Salas
Evaluation And Application Of A New Shape-Sensitive Metric Useful For Characterizing Both Spectral Curves And Lidar Waveforms, Eric Ariel L. Salas
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This dissertation seeks to investigate hyperspectral and waveform LiDAR datasets through a new analytical framework called Moment Distance method that uses a metric derived from the shape of the curve (spectral or waveform). In the case of hyperspectral data, the shape of the reflectance curve should unmask fine points of the spectra usually not considered by existing band-specific indices. To explore the advantages and shortcomings of this new approach, leaf and canopy hyperspectral reflectance samples were simulated using the physicallybased models PROSPECT (a leaf model) and SAIL (a canopy model). Sensitivity analysis was conducted with the goal of understanding the …