Land cover classification of Lago Grande de Curuai floodplain (Amazon, Brazil) using multi-sensor and image fusion techniques

Citation

de Almeida Furtado LF, Silva TSF, Fernandes PJF & de Moraes Novo EML (2015) Land cover classification of Lago Grande de Curuai floodplain (Amazon, Brazil) using multi-sensor and image fusion techniques [Classificação da cobertura da terra na planície de inundação do Lago Grande de Curuai (Amazônia, Brasil) utilizando dados multisensor e fusão de imagens]. Acta Amazonica, 45 (2), pp. 195-202. https://doi.org/10.1590/1809-4392201401439

Abstract
Given the limitations of different types of remote sensing images, automated land-cover classifications of the Amazon várzea may yield poor accuracy indexes. One way to improve accuracy is through the combination of images from different sensors, by either image fusion or multi-sensor classifications. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine which classification method is more efficient in improving land cover classification accuracies for the Amazon várzea and similar wetland environments - (a) synthetically fused optical and SAR images or (b) multi-sensor classification of paired SAR and optical images. Land cover classifications based on images from a single sensor (Landsat TM or Radarsat-2) are compared with multi-sensor and image fusion classifications. Object-based image analyses (OBIA) and the J.48 data-mining algorithm were used for automated classification, and classification accuracies were assessed using the kappa index of agreement and the recently proposed allocation and quantity disagreement measures. Overall, optical-based classifications had better accuracy than SAR-based classifications. Once both datasets were combined using the multi-sensor approach, there was a 2% decrease in allocation disagreement, as the method was able to overcome part of the limitations present in both images. Accuracy decreased when image fusion methods were used, however. We therefore concluded that the multi-sensor classification method is more appropriate for classifying land cover in the Amazon várzea.

Keywords
wetlands; remote sensing; synthetic aperture radar;

Journal
Acta Amazonica: Volume 45, Issue 2

People

Dr Thiago Silva

Senior Lecturer, Biological and Environmental Sciences