Objective Establishment of a methodology, using high resolution earth observation satellites together with collateral data and information for the monitoring and the management (development and/or conservation) of the marginal (less favoured) areas of the European Community.Progress to end 1990 The work was divided in three main parts: a) development of preprocessing and processing methods for high resolution optical satellite data (TM and SPOT) and airborne imaging spectrometer data used for vegetation mapping and soil erosion modeling b) vegetation mapping and soil erosion studies on the Ardeche test area c) definition and launching of new objectives for the Collaborative Program with associated european institutes. Methods development. a) Preprocessing. Completion of the work on operational radiometric and atmospheric correction of TM and SPOT data (a paper on this topic has been accepted for publication in the journal "Remote Sensing of Environment"); definition and implementation of radiometric calibration, atmospheric and geometric correction methods for airborne HRIS (high resololution imaging spectrometer) data. b) Advanced Image Processing. A first version of an image segmentation algorithm combining interacte region growing and spectral-spatial clustering was obtained; the use of knowledge bases - to complement spectral information in automatic classification - was implemented within a general evidential reasoning scheme. Ardeche experiment. The global result on automatic mapping for agricultural and natural vegetation classes by multitemporal processing will be available for the whole department (5600 km2). The ground data base for soil erosion studies (South of Ardeche) was initiated by incorporating various layers (geology, pedology, lithology, vegetation) into the geographical information system (GIS) ARC/INFO. Promising first results were obtained on the discrimination of soil types using HRIS data: identical absorptn features corresponding to the mineral content of soil and rock samples have been detected in the airborne data as well as in the field and laboratory measurements. Collaborative Programme. The second phase of the collaboration was defined within the following main objectives: a) integration of remote sensing and GIS's for forestry assessment and management b) classi-fication and mapping criteria for grassland, natural vegetation and mountainous land cover; c) Eco - morphological classification and mapping for land degradation control d) European environmental protection related mapping. Three research contracts have been forwarded, six will be issued. Detailed description of work foreseen in 1991 (expected results) Advanced image processing: a) image segmentation in a multi-temporal context b) use of more advanced knowledge bases in image classification to handle complex situations c) combined use of SAR ERSI and optical data for vegetation mapping. Ardeche experiment: a) evaluation of the mapping results for the whole department b) application of evidential reasoning-knowledge base and segmentation methods on selected areas c) study on the use of remote sensing indicators in soil erosion models. HRIS studies: ) comparison of field and laboratory measurements and airborne data for soil and vegetation recognition b) development of spectral unmixing methods for soil and vegetation mapping. Collaborative Programme: Develop the collaboration along the lines stated abovein order to construct an inter-european forum for discussions on and inventions of tools and methods (especially by using GIS's) for environmental mapping and management and for training purposes. Short description of evolution of work in 1992 The main trends of the work foreseen for 1991 will remain. The studies on soil degradation and soil erosion will be amplified, together with the investigation on the use of HRIS data for soil and vegetation recognition and mapping. 2 Programme(s) JRC-REMSENS 3C - Specific research programmes (EEC) to be implemented by the Joint Research Centre - Application of remote-sensing techniques -, 1988-1991 Topic(s) Data not available Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme Data not available Coordinator Joint Research Centre (JRC) EU contribution No data Address Sito di Ispra 21020 Ispra Italy See on map Total cost No data
