scholarly journals Distribution Statistics Preserving Post-Processing Method With Plot Level Uncertainty Analysis for Remotely Sensed Data-Based Forest Inventory Predictions

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1677
Author(s):  
Virpi Junttila ◽  
Tuomo Kauranne
Keyword(s):  
Forest Inventory ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Linear Models ◽  
Accuracy Assessment ◽  
Remotely Sensed ◽  
Processing Method ◽  
Post Processing ◽  
Remotely Sensed Data ◽  
Training Set ◽  
Study Sites

Remotely sensed data-based models used in operational forest inventory usually give precise and accurate predictions on average, but they often suffer from systematic under- or over-estimation of extreme attribute values resulting in too narrow or skewed attribute distributions. We use a post-processing method based on the statistics of a proper, representative training set to correct the predictions and their probability intervals, attaining corrected predictions that reproduce the statistics of the whole population. Performance of the method is validated with three forest attributes from seven study sites in Finland with training set sizes from 50 to over 400 field plots. The results are compared to those of the uncorrected predictions given by linear models using airborne laser scanning data. The post-processing method improves the accuracy assessment linear fit between the predictions and the reference set by 35.4–51.8% and the distribution fit by 44.5–95.0%. The prediction root mean square error declines on the average by 6.3%. The systematic under- and over-estimation are reduced consistently with all training set sizes. The level of uncertainty is maintained well as the probability intervals cover the real uncertainty while keeping the average probability interval width similar to the one in uncorrected predictions.

scholarly journals Effects of Training Set Size on Supervised Machine-Learning Land-Cover Classification of Large-Area High-Resolution Remotely Sensed Data

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 368
Author(s):  
Christopher A. Ramezan ◽  
Timothy A. Warner ◽  
Aaron E. Maxwell ◽  
Bradley S. Price
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Sample Size ◽  
Remotely Sensed ◽  
Training Data ◽  
Supervised Machine Learning ◽  
Sample Sizes ◽  
Remotely Sensed Data ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Training Set ◽  
Set Size

The size of the training data set is a major determinant of classification accuracy. Nevertheless, the collection of a large training data set for supervised classifiers can be a challenge, especially for studies covering a large area, which may be typical of many real-world applied projects. This work investigates how variations in training set size, ranging from a large sample size (n = 10,000) to a very small sample size (n = 40), affect the performance of six supervised machine-learning algorithms applied to classify large-area high-spatial-resolution (HR) (1–5 m) remotely sensed data within the context of a geographic object-based image analysis (GEOBIA) approach. GEOBIA, in which adjacent similar pixels are grouped into image-objects that form the unit of the classification, offers the potential benefit of allowing multiple additional variables, such as measures of object geometry and texture, thus increasing the dimensionality of the classification input data. The six supervised machine-learning algorithms are support vector machines (SVM), random forests (RF), k-nearest neighbors (k-NN), single-layer perceptron neural networks (NEU), learning vector quantization (LVQ), and gradient-boosted trees (GBM). RF, the algorithm with the highest overall accuracy, was notable for its negligible decrease in overall accuracy, 1.0%, when training sample size decreased from 10,000 to 315 samples. GBM provided similar overall accuracy to RF; however, the algorithm was very expensive in terms of training time and computational resources, especially with large training sets. In contrast to RF and GBM, NEU, and SVM were particularly sensitive to decreasing sample size, with NEU classifications generally producing overall accuracies that were on average slightly higher than SVM classifications for larger sample sizes, but lower than SVM for the smallest sample sizes. NEU however required a longer processing time. The k-NN classifier saw less of a drop in overall accuracy than NEU and SVM as training set size decreased; however, the overall accuracies of k-NN were typically less than RF, NEU, and SVM classifiers. LVQ generally had the lowest overall accuracy of all six methods, but was relatively insensitive to sample size, down to the smallest sample sizes. Overall, due to its relatively high accuracy with small training sample sets, and minimal variations in overall accuracy between very large and small sample sets, as well as relatively short processing time, RF was a good classifier for large-area land-cover classifications of HR remotely sensed data, especially when training data are scarce. However, as performance of different supervised classifiers varies in response to training set size, investigating multiple classification algorithms is recommended to achieve optimal accuracy for a project.

scholarly journals Modelling and Predicting the Growing Stock Volume in Small-Scale Plantation Forests of Tanzania Using Multi-Sensor Image Synergy

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ernest William Mauya ◽  
Joni Koskinen ◽  
Katri Tegel ◽  
Jarno Hämäläinen ◽  
Tuomo Kauranne ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Forest Inventory ◽  
Remotely Sensed ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Remotely Sensed Data ◽  
Weighted Mean ◽  
Alos Palsar ◽  
Growing Stock ◽  
Stock Volume ◽  
Sentinel 2

Remotely sensed assisted forest inventory has emerged in the past decade as a robust and cost efficient method for generating accurate information on forest biophysical parameters. The launching and public access of ALOS PALSAR-2, Sentinel-1 (SAR), and Sentinel-2 together with the associated open-source software, has further increased the opportunity for application of remotely sensed data in forest inventories. In this study, we evaluated the ability of ALOS PALSAR-2, Sentinel-1 (SAR) and Sentinel-2 and their combinations to predict growing stock volume in small-scale forest plantations of Tanzania. The effects of two variable extraction approaches (i.e., centroid and weighted mean), seasonality (i.e., rainy and dry), and tree species on the prediction accuracy of growing stock volume when using each of the three remotely sensed data were also investigated. Statistical models relating growing stock volume and remotely sensed predictor variables at the plot-level were fitted using multiple linear regression. The models were evaluated using the k-fold cross validation and judged based on the relative root mean square error values (RMSEr). The results showed that: Sentinel-2 (RMSEr = 42.03% and pseudo − R2 = 0.63) and the combination of Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 (RMSEr = 46.98% and pseudo − R2 = 0.52), had better performance in predicting growing stock volume, as compared to Sentinel-1 (RMSEr = 59.48% and pseudo − R2 = 0.18) alone. Models fitted with variables extracted from the weighted mean approach, turned out to have relatively lower RMSEr % values, as compared to centroid approaches. Sentinel-2 rainy season based models had slightly smaller RMSEr values, as compared to dry season based models. Dense time series (i.e., annual) data resulted to the models with relatively lower RMSEr values, as compared to seasonal based models when using variables extracted from the weighted mean approach. For the centroid approach there was no notable difference between the models fitted using dense time series versus rain season based predictor variables. Stratifications based on tree species resulted into lower RMSEr values for Pinus patula tree species, as compared to other tree species. Finally, our study concluded that combination of Sentinel-1&2 as well as the use Sentinel-2 alone can be considered for remote-sensing assisted forest inventory in the small-scale plantation forests of Tanzania. Further studies on the effect of field plot size, stratification and statistical methods on the prediction accuracy are recommended.

scholarly journals Estimating Land Use and Land Cover Change in North Central Georgia: Can Remote Sensing Observations Augment Traditional Forest Inventory Data?

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 856 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gretchen G. Moisen ◽  
Kelly S. McConville ◽  
Todd A. Schroeder ◽  
Sean P. Healey ◽  
Mark V. Finco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Forest Inventory ◽  
Remotely Sensed ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Inventory Data ◽  
Remotely Sensed Data ◽  
North Central ◽  
Forest Inventory Data ◽  
Long Time

Throughout the last three decades, north central Georgia has experienced significant loss in forest land and tree cover. This study revealed the temporal patterns and thematic transitions associated with this loss by augmenting traditional forest inventory data with remotely sensed observations. In the US, there is a network of field plots measured consistently through time from the USDA Forest Service’s Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program, serial photo-based observations collected through image-based change estimation (ICE) methodology, and historical Landsat-based observations collected through TimeSync. The objective here was to evaluate how these three data sources could be used to best estimate land use and land cover (LULC) change. Using data collected in north central Georgia, we compared agreement between the three data sets, assessed the ability of each to yield adequately precise and temporally coherent estimates of land class status as well as detect net and transitional change, and we evaluated the effectiveness of using remotely sensed data in an auxiliary capacity to improve detection of statistically significant changes. With the exception of land cover from FIA plots, agreement between paired data sets for land use and cover was nearly 85%, and estimates of land class proportion were not significantly different for overlapping time intervals. Only the long time series of TimeSync data revealed significant change when conducting analyses over five-year intervals and aggregated land categories. Using ICE and TimeSync data through a two-phase estimator improved precision in estimates but did not achieve temporal coherence. We also show analytically that using auxiliary remotely sensed data for post-stratification for binary responses must be based on maps that are extremely accurate in order to see gains in precision. We conclude that, in order to report LULC trends in north central Georgia with adequate precision and temporal coherence, we need data collected on all the FIA plots each year over a long time series and broadly collapsed LULC classes.

scholarly journals Remotely sensed data controlled forest inventory concept

2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adelheid Wallner ◽  
Alata Elatawneh ◽  
Thomas Schneider ◽  
Mengistie Kindu ◽  
Britta Ossig ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Inventory ◽  
Remotely Sensed ◽  
Remotely Sensed Data

scholarly journals Stratifying Forest Overstory for Improving Effective LAI Estimation Based on Aerial Imagery and Discrete Laser Scanning Data

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (13) ◽  
pp. 2126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhaoshang Xu ◽  
Guang Zheng ◽  
L. Monika Moskal
Keyword(s):  
Forest Structure ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Structural Information ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Remotely Sensed ◽  
Background Information ◽  
Estimation Accuracy ◽  
Forest Stands ◽  
Remotely Sensed Data ◽  
Area Index

Accurately mapping forest effective leaf area index (LAIe) at the landscape level is a crucial step to better simulate various ecological and physiological processes such as photosynthesis, respiration, transpiration, and precipitation interception. The LAIe products obtained from two-dimensional (2-D) remotely sensed optical imageries are usually biased due to their inability to identify the vertical forest structure and eliminate the effects of forest background (i.e., shrubs, grass, snow, and bare earth). In this study, we first stratified the forest overstory and background layers and generated a forest background mask layer based on the structural information implicitly contained within the aerial laser scanning (ALS) data. We improved the retrieval accuracy of LAIe by combining light detection and ranging (Lidar)-based three dimensional (3-D) structural and 2-D spectral information. Then, we obtained the improved final LAIe estimation result by masking the forest background pixels from the optical remotely sensed imageries. Our results showed that: (1) Removing forest background information could effectively (R2 increase from 20% to 30%) improve the estimation accuracy of optical-based forest LAIe depending on forest structure characteristics. (2) The forest background in the forest stands with low canopy cover showed more apparent effects on LAIe estimation compared with the forest stands with a high canopy cover. (3) The combination of ALS and optical remotely sensed data could produce the best LAIe retrieval result effectively by removing the forest background information.

Uncertainties of mapping aboveground forest carbon due to plot locations using national forest inventory plot and remotely sensed data

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 360-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guangxing Wang ◽  
Maozhen Zhang ◽  
George Z. Gertner ◽  
Tonny Oyana ◽  
Ronald E. McRoberts ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Inventory ◽  
Remotely Sensed ◽  
National Forest Inventory ◽  
Forest Carbon ◽  
National Forest ◽  
Remotely Sensed Data
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