Image Classification Techniques

Electromagnetic Spectrums &

Spectral Signatures
Electromagnetic Spectrums &
Spectral Signatures
Spectral Signatures
What is a Classified Image

• Image has been processed to put each pixel into a

category
• Result is a vegetation map, land use map, or other
map grouping related features
• Categories are defined by the intended use of the
map
• Can be few or many categories, depending on the
purpose of the map and available resources
Initial Steps of Classification

• Define the study area

• Select or develop a classification scheme (legend)
• Select imagery
• Prepare imagery for classification
• Collect ancillary data
• Choose classification method and classify
• Adjust classification and assess accuracy
Choosing a Classification
Scheme
• A classification scheme defines the legend
• There are several classification schemes
available:
Classification name URL
Anderson http://landcover.usgs.gov/pdf/anderson.pdf
National Land Cover Data http://landcover.usgs.gov/
FAO Land Cover Classification System http://www.africover.org/LCCS.htm
 Classification schemes can be hierarchical or non-
hierarchical
 Other attributes can be mapped including:
 Vegetation structure

 Land cover disturbance

 Vegetation age (for example, primary and

secondary)
 Distribution of taxa

 Land use

 Crown closure
Selection of Satellite Imagery

• Selecting appropriate imagery is usually a

subjective task and experience is very helpful
• Image choice is often limited by budget and image
availability
• Spatial detail of the final classified map is limited
by the input imagery
• After assessing your imagery alternatives it may
be necessary to redefine your goals, study area,
and classification scheme
Preprocessing

• Geometric corrections

– Goal is to assigned the real world coordinates

– Removes distortions from the sensor and movement of
the satellite and earth
– Geo-referencing – Uses control points to warp the
image to a map but in mountainous terrain distortions
are still problematic
– Ortho-rectification – Corrects for distortions caused by
terrain by using a DEM
Preprocessing

• Radiometric corrections

– Goal is to calculate ground reflectance

– To improve the surface reflectance due to irregularities
in the earths surface and atmospheric scattering and
absorption
– Radiometric correction is becoming more accessible to
novice users
Collect Ancillary Data

• In many cases adequate datasets are not useful

because they are too coarse, too expensive, or
simply not available

• Incorporating ancillary data is not always

straightforward and depends on the selected
classification method
Ancillary Data

• If additional data is available that can improve the

classification. Some possible datasets include:

– Ground survey data

– Field photographs during the data collection
– DEMs and their derived datasets (slope and aspect)
– Climate data such as rainfall and temperature
– Vector overlays such as roads, rivers, and populated
places
Manual vs. Automated
Classification
• Manual
– Uses photo interpretation methods to delineate classes
– Uses visual cues such as tone, texture, shape, size,
shadows, and location
– Uses heads-up digitizing
• Automated
– Uses computer algorithms to group clusters based on
similar characteristics
– Rules for classifying usually developed subjectively but
these are applied objectively
• Hybrid
– Mixture of automated and manual methods
– Can be done by manually editing an automated
classification result
Type of Classification

• Supervised
– The analyst provides information, usually in the form of
samples from the image, to train the algorithm to define
classes
– Requires prior information about the land cover
• Unsupervised
– The computer uses an algorithm to group similar pixels
into classes
– User provides parameters such as the number of
classes to produce, and rules defining how classes
should be merged and split as the algorithm runs
– Usually an iterative algorithm
– The user must associate each class with a particular
land cover type
• Hybrid
– Uses unsupervised methods to create training data and
then use a supervised algorithm for the final
classification

• Object Base
– Object-based classification comprises two steps: image
segmentation and object classification
– Image segmentation subdivides the image into groups
of contiguous pixels
– Group of contiguous pixels are assigned as a single
class
The Sea of Algorithms

• There are dozens of algorithms that can be used

• Algorithm selection depends on what is available,
the image type, available training data, ancillary
layers available, and experience
• Some popular algorithms include:
– ISODATA unsupervised classification
– Supervised statistical classification
• Parallelepiped
• Minimum distance
• Maximum likelihood
– Artificial neural net
– Binary decision tree
– Image segmentation
Parallelepiped
Minimum distance
Maximum Likelihood
Image Segmentation and
Classification
• Parameters available for pixel and object based
methods:
Pixel Object
Color X X
Color statistics -* X
Size - X Pixel

Shape - X
Neighbors - X
Hierarchy - X
*Limited with texture
Objects
Accuracy Assessment

• Accuracy assessment sampling often skewed

toward detecting thematic error
• Sample data must be independent of training data
• Random Samples
• Ground Samples
Analysis

• Area Calculation of specific feature or class

• Change analysis of existing feature by using
different dates dataset
No Classes Area (ha)

1 Agriculture/Shrubs 131.84

2 Bare Soil/Rocks 16,676.40

3 Artemisia sp. (Rangeland) 11,944.36

4 Water 181.64

5 Holly Oak 588.64

6 Coniferous forest 1,299.52

7 Snow 2,514.20

8 Coniferous forest mixed with 1,606.52

Holly Oak
Total Area 34,943.12
Land Cover Change

Historic Data Present Data Change Image

Application of Classification
Thank you