Towards more robust land cover classification – fusing low spatial resolution, multi-temporal imagery with high spatial resolution data

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-25
Author(s):  
Shagan Sah ◽  
Jan van Aardt ◽  
Peter Bajorski
Author(s):  
B. Liu ◽  
J. Chen ◽  
H. Xing ◽  
H. Wu ◽  
J. Zhang

The spatial detail and updating frequency of land cover data are important factors influencing land surface dynamic monitoring applications in high spatial resolution scale. However, the fragmentized patches and seasonal variable of some land cover types (e. g. small crop field, wetland) make it labor-intensive and difficult in the generation of land cover data. Utilizing the high spatial resolution multi-temporal image data is a possible solution. Unfortunately, the spatial and temporal resolution of available remote sensing data like Landsat or MODIS datasets can hardly satisfy the minimum mapping unit and frequency of current land cover mapping / updating at the same time. The generation of high resolution time series may be a compromise to cover the shortage in land cover updating process. One of popular way is to downscale multi-temporal MODIS data with other high spatial resolution auxiliary data like Landsat. But the usual manner of downscaling pixel based on a window may lead to the underdetermined problem in heterogeneous area, result in the uncertainty of some high spatial resolution pixels. Therefore, the downscaled multi-temporal data can hardly reach high spatial resolution as Landsat data. <br><br> A spiral based method was introduced to downscale low spatial and high temporal resolution image data to high spatial and high temporal resolution image data. By the way of searching the similar pixels around the adjacent region based on the spiral, the pixel set was made up in the adjacent region pixel by pixel. The underdetermined problem is prevented to a large extent from solving the linear system when adopting the pixel set constructed. With the help of ordinary least squares, the method inverted the endmember values of linear system. The high spatial resolution image was reconstructed on the basis of high spatial resolution class map and the endmember values band by band. Then, the high spatial resolution time series was formed with these high spatial resolution images image by image. <br><br> Simulated experiment and remote sensing image downscaling experiment were conducted. In simulated experiment, the 30 meters class map dataset Globeland30 was adopted to investigate the effect on avoid the underdetermined problem in downscaling procedure and a comparison between spiral and window was conducted. Further, the MODIS NDVI and Landsat image data was adopted to generate the 30m time series NDVI in remote sensing image downscaling experiment. Simulated experiment results showed that the proposed method had a robust performance in downscaling pixel in heterogeneous region and indicated that it was superior to the traditional window-based methods. The high resolution time series generated may be a benefit to the mapping and updating of land cover data.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seungtaek Jeong ◽  
Jonghan Ko ◽  
Gwanyong Jeong ◽  
Myungjin Choi

&lt;p&gt;A satellite image-based classification for crop types can provide information on an arable land area and its changes over time. The classified information is also useful as a base dataset for various geospatial projects to retrieve crop growth and production processes for a wide area. Convolutional neural network (CNN) algorithms based on a deep neural network technique have been frequently applied for land cover classification using satellite images with a high spatial resolution, producing consistent classification outcomes. However, it is still challenging to adopt the coarse resolution images such as Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) for classification purposes mainly because of uncertainty from mixed pixels, which can cause difficulty in collecting and labeling actual land cover data. Nevertheless, using coarse images is a very efficient approach for obtaining high temporal and continuous land spectral information for comparatively extensive areas (e.g., those at national and continental scales). In this study, we will classify paddy fields applying a CNN algorithm to MODIS images in Northeast Asia. Time series features of vegetation indices that appear only in paddy fields will be created as 2-dimensional images to use inputs for the classification algorithm. We will use reference land cover maps with a high spatial resolution in Korea and Japan as training and test datasets, employing identified data in person for validation. The current research effort would propose that the CNN-based classification approach using coarse spatial resolution images could have its applicability and reliability for the land cover classification process at a continental scale, providing a direction of its solution for the cause of errors in satellite images with a low spatial resolution.&lt;/p&gt;


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