Rule‐based Integration of Remotely‐sensed Data and GIS for Land Cover Mapping in NE Costa Rica |
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| Authors: | Kenneth L Driese William A Reiners Robert C Thurston |
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| Institution: | Department of Botany , University of Wyoming , Laramie, WY, 82071-3165, U.S.A. E-mail: kdriese@uwyo.edu |
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| Abstract: | Abstract A classification method was developed for mapping land cover in NE Costa Rica at a regional scale for spatial input to a biogeochemical model (CENTURY). To distinguish heterogeneous cover types, unsupervised classifications of Landsat Thematic Mapper data were combined with ancillary and derived data in an iterative process. Spectral classes corresponding to ground control types were segregated into a storage raster while ambiguous pixels were passed through a set of rules to the next stage of processing. Feature sets were used at each step to help sort spectral classes into land cover classes. The process enabled different feature sets to be used for different types while recognizing that spectral classification alone was not sufficient for separating cover types that were defined by heterogeneity. Spectral data included the TM reflective bands, principal components and the NDVI. Ancillary data included GIS coverages of swamp extents, banana plantation boundaries and river courses. Derived data included neighborhood variety and majority measures that captured texture. The final map depicts 18 land cover types and captures the general patterns found in the region. Some confusion still exists between closely related types such as pasture with different amounts of tree cover. |
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| Keywords: | radar interferometry InSAR permanent scatterer tropospheric errors Hungary |
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