Quantitative evaluation of variations in rule-based classifications of land cover in urban neighbourhoods using WorldView-2 imagery

The increasing availability of high resolution imagery has triggered the need for automated image analysis techniques, with reduced human intervention and reproducible analysis procedures. The knowledge gained in the past might be of use to achieving this goal, if systematically organized into libraries which would guide the image analysis procedure. In this study we aimed at evaluating the variability of digital classifications carried out by three experts who were all assigned the same interpretation task. Besides the three classifications performed by independent operators, we developed an additional rule-based classification that relied on the image classifications best practices found in the literature, and used it as a surrogate for libraries of object characteristics. The results showed statistically significant differences among all operators who classified the same reference imagery. The classifications carried out by the experts achieved satisfactory results when transferred to another area for extracting the same classes of interest, without modification of the developed rules.     

Context-based automatic reconstruction and texturing of 3D urban terrain for quick-response tasks

Highly detailed 3D urban terrain models are the base for quick response tasks with indispensable human participation, e.g., disaster management. Thus, it is important to automate and accelerate the process of urban terrain modeling from sensor data such that the resulting 3D model is semantic, compact, recognizable, and easily usable for training and simulation purposes. To provide essential geometric attributes, buildings and trees must be identified among elevated objects in digital surface models. After building ground-plan estimation and roof details analysis, images from oblique airborne imagery are used to cover building faces with up-to-date texture thus achieving a better recognizability of the model. The three steps of the texturing procedure are sensor pose estimation, assessment of polygons projected into the images, and texture synthesis. Free geographic data, providing additional information about streets, forest areas, and other topographic object types, suppress false alarms and enrich the reconstruction results.     

Markov-random-field-based super-resolution mapping for identification of urban trees in VHR images

Identification of tree crowns from remote sensing requires detailed spectral information and submeter spatial resolution imagery. Traditional pixel-based classification techniques do not fully exploit the spatial and spectral characteristics of remote sensing datasets. We propose a contextual and probabilistic method for detection of tree crowns in urban areas using a Markov random field based super resolution mapping (SRM) approach in very high resolution images. Our method defines an objective energy function in terms of the conditional probabilities of panchromatic and multispectral images and it locally optimizes the labeling of tree crown pixels. Energy and model parameter values are estimated from multiple implementations of SRM in tuning areas and the method is applied in QuickBird images to produce a 0.6 m tree crown map in a city of The Netherlands. The SRM output shows an identification rate of 66% and commission and omission errors in small trees and shrub areas. The method outperforms tree crown identification results obtained with maximum likelihood, support vector machines and SRM at nominal resolution (2.4 m) approaches.     

The use of WorldView-2 satellite imagery to model urban drainage system with low impact development (LID) Techniques

Within a wide range of best management practices for stormwater management in urban areas, there has been an increasing interest in source control measures. Source controls such as low-impact development (LID) techniques are potentially attractive as retrofit options for older developed areas that lack available land to implement conventional measures such as stormwater management ponds. Hence, distributed urban drainage models requiring detailed representation of developed drainage areas should be developed to accurately estimate the benefits that LIDs may provide. This study (1) presents a two-stage classification process on a high-resolution WorldView-2 image, and (2) demonstrates how to use the extracted land cover information in the subsequent hydrologic modelling and assessment of different LIDs’ performance. The proposed two-stage classification method achieved an overall accuracy of 80.6%, whereas a traditional pixel-based achieved 68.4% in classifying the same urban area into six land cover classes. From the classification results, the hydrologic properties of micro-subcatchments were imported in the United States Environmental Protection Agency Storm Water Management Model to assess the performance of LIDs. A reduction of run-off volume 18.2% and 37.1% was found with the implementation of porous pavement and bioretention, respectively, in a typical low-rise residential area located in the city of San Clemente, California, US. The study demonstrates the use of high-resolution remote sensing image to aid in evaluating LID retrofit options, and thus benefits in situations where detailed drainage area information is not available.     

地面Lidar在文物测量建模中的应用

应用地面激光扫描仪对万里长城第一台镇北台进行了全面的扫描测量,完整记录了镇北台的3维空间特征,并且就镇北台内文物局部详细扫描建模,获取了3维模型和多种线画图,为研究我国历史文化以及文物的修复重建探索了一种新的技术方法.     

A comparison of usefulness of 2D and 3D representations of urban planning

Very little existing literature has addressed the issues of the perceived usefulness of 3D visualizations over 2D and the use of cartographic shadow representations in the planning community. Urban planning has moved toward a 3D, geographic-information-system-centric, and functional decision support framework. This study aims to examine the preferences of urban planning professionals with respect to 2D and 3D visualizations in a case study. The authors built a 3D representation of a proposed building along with the existing urban environment in Queenstown, New Zealand and conducted a usefulness test through a survey and interview. Based on the survey, the study evaluated the degree of task utility perceived in each visualization method, the effect on the mental image, and shadow representation preferences. The findings support the literature that the benefits of using a 2D or 3D model are closely related to the types of planning tasks undertaken. The findings also reveal a complex view of planning activities, suggesting that planners themselves cannot be treated as a single group for research purposes.     

Quality assessment of digital surface models extracted from WorldView-2 and WorldView-3 stereo pairs over different land covers

Digital surface models (DSMs) extracted from very high resolution (VHR) satellite stereo images are becoming more and more important in a wide range of geoscience applications. The number of software packages available for generating DSMs has been increasing rapidly. The main goal of this work is to explore the capabilities of VHR satellite stereo pairs for DSMs generation over different land-cover objects such as agricultural plastic greenhouses, bare soil and urban areas by using two software packages: (i) OrthoEngine (PCI), based on a hierarchical subpixel mean normalized cross correlation matching method, and (ii) RPC Stereo Processor (RSP), with a modified hierarchical semi-global matching method. Two VHR satellite stereo pairs from WorldView-2 (WV2) and WorldView-3 (WV3) were used to extract the DSMs. A quality assessment on these DSMs on both vertical accuracy and completeness was carried out by considering the following factors: (i) type of sensor (i.e., WV2 or WV3), (ii) software package (i.e., PCI or RSP) and (iii) type of land-cover objects (plastic greenhouses, bare soil and urban areas). A highly accurate light detection and ranging (LiDAR) derived DSM was used as the ground truth for validation. By comparing both software packages, we concluded that regarding DSM completeness, RSP produced significantly (p < 0.05) better scores than PCI for all the sensors and type of land-cover objects. The percentage improvement in completeness by using RSP instead of PCI was approximately 2%, 18% and 26% for bare soil, greenhouses and urban areas respectively. Concerning the vertical accuracy in root mean square error (RMSE), the only factor clearly significant (p < 0.05) was the land cover. Overall, WV3 DSM showed slightly better (not significant) vertical accuracy values than WV2. Finally, both software packages achieved similar vertical accuracy for the different land-cover objects and tested sensors.     

The use of logistic model tree (LMT) for pixel- and object-based classifications using high-resolution WorldView-2 imagery

Logistic model tree (LMT), a new method integrating standard decision tree (DT) induction and linear logistic regression algorithm in a single tree, have been recently proposed as an alternative to DT-based learning algorithms. In this study, the LMT was applied in the context of pixel- and object-based classifications using high-resolution WorldView-2 imagery, and its performance was compared with C4.5, random forest and Adaboost. Results of the study showed that the LMT generally produced more accurate classification results than the other methods for both pixel- and object-based classifications. The improvement in classification accuracy reached to 3% in pixel-based and 5% in object-based classifications. It was also estimated that the LMT algorithm produced the most accurate results considering the allocation and overall disagreement errors. Based on the Wilcoxon’s Signed-Ranks tests, the performance differences between the LMT and the other methods were statistically significant for both pixel- and object-based image classifications.     

Integration of WorldView-2 and airborne LiDAR data for tree species level carbon stock mapping in Kayar Khola watershed,Nepal

Integration of WorldView-2 satellite image with small footprint airborne LiDAR data for estimation of tree carbon at species level has been investigated in tropical forests of Nepal. This research aims to quantify and map carbon stock for dominant tree species in Chitwan district of central Nepal. Object based image analysis and supervised nearest neighbor classification methods were deployed for tree canopy retrieval and species level classification respectively. Initially, six dominant tree species (Shorea robusta, Schima wallichii, Lagerstroemia parviflora, Terminalia tomentosa, Mallotus philippinensis and Semecarpus anacardium) were able to be identified and mapped through image classification. The result showed a 76% accuracy of segmentation and 1970.99 as best average separability. Tree canopy height model (CHM) was extracted based on LiDAR’s first and last return from an entire study area. On average, a significant correlation coefficient (r) between canopy projection area (CPA) and carbon; height and carbon; and CPA and height were obtained as 0.73, 0.76 and 0.63, respectively for correctly detected trees. Carbon stock model validation results showed regression models being able to explain up to 94%, 78%, 76%, 84% and 78% of variations in carbon estimation for the following tree species: S. robusta, L. parviflora, T. tomentosa, S. wallichii and others (combination of rest tree species).     

Assessing the visual impacts of new urban features: coupling visibility analysis with 3D city modelling

Abstract

Land use changes associated with urbanization often have negative impacts on scenic beauty. In this paper, we explore and compare the visual impact of two different scenarios of urban growth including historical urban growth (HUG) and aesthetically sound urban growth (AUG) with two different categories of height for buildings in the city of Gorgan, Iran. This was done by viewshed and landscape metric analysis of different viewpoints and 3D representation of each scenario. The results show that with the AUG scenario, viewsheds are less impacted by new developments than the HUG scenario in all the viewpoints. It can be concluded that building locations can considerably affect the landscape visibility while building height does not impact to the same degree as location. The results of this research, as a Spatial Decision Support System, would help the managers for better understanding of different patterns of urbanization and its effect on landscape view.     

耦合WorldView-2和珠海一号影像的红树林物种分布

红树林物种遥感分类受影像分辨率、波段信息、分类策略、影像特征选择方法等因素影响。现有的红树林物种遥感分类研究大多关注于分类精度的比较,较少报道商业高分与国产高光谱卫星的结合在物种分类的应用。基于湛江高桥红树林保护区的高分（WorldView-2）和高光谱（珠海一号）卫星影像,本文旨在利用随机森林分类方法,比较不同特征选择算法（极端梯度提升（XGBoost）、极端随机树（ERT）、连续投影算法（SPA））和不同空间分辨率（WorldView-2影像从0.5 m的分辨率重采样为1 m、2 m、4 m、8 m、10 m）对红树林物种分类精度的影响,并耦合WorldView-2与珠海一号影像研究红树林物种空间分布格局及影响因素。每种空间分辨率的WorldView-2影像提取248个特征（52个光谱特征及196个纹理特征）,珠海一号影像提取117个光谱特征。结果表明,XGBoost方法优于ERT和SPA,在影像特征选择中具有巨大优势;与其他空间分辨率相比,2 m分辨率的WorldView-2影像具有更高的分类精度;耦合WorldView-2和珠海一号影像的分类精度（分辨率：2 m,总体精度：88.98%,kappa系数：0.846）高于单一的WorldView-2影像（分辨率：2 m,总体精度：83.47%,kappa系数：0.768）和珠海一号影像（分辨率：10 m,总体精度：78.50%,kappa系数：0.703）;另外,林窗、高程、离岸距离一定程度上影响红树林物种分布格局。本文表明WorldView-2与珠海一号高光谱影像的结合在景观及区域尺度上精确提取红树林物种信息具有巨大潜力,有利于红树林生物多样性保护及科学管理。     

Spatio-temporal analysis of urban growth in selected small,medium and large Indian cities

This study attempts to ascertain the spatial and temporal variations in the evolution of Indian cities using multi-date remote sensing data. A two-stage object-based nearest neighbour classification approach with hierarchical segmentation was used to extract built-up area in selected small, medium and large cities, whereas object-based temporal inversion was applied for change analysis. The temporal trend of net population density, degree of scattered development and compactness of urban core in each city was determined using the built-up area. The study observed a declining trend in growth rate of built-up area in small and medium sized-cities, in contrast to large cities. However, the net population density in cities of all types is decreasing as urban growth has outpaced the corresponding population growth. Furthermore, small and medium cities indicated greater tendency for scattered development in comparison to large cities, whereas the core urban areas of the later appeared relatively less compact.     

城市建筑三维建模算法研究

城市建筑物的三维建模是数字城市基础建设中最重要的技术之一,对建筑物测绘和三维点的计算进行了论述和对比,并介绍了使用ACAD中的CAL函数构建的基础计算程序.     

Assessing environmental impacts of urban growth using remote sensing

ABSTRACT

This paper provides a study of the changes in land use in urban environments in two cities, Wuhan, China and western Sydney in Australia. Since mixed pixels are a characteristic of medium resolution images such as Landsat, when used for the classification of urban areas, due to changes in urban ground cover within a pixel, Multiple Endmember Spectral Mixture Analysis (MESMA) together with Super-Resolution Mapping (SRM) are employed to derive class fractions to generate classification maps at a higher spatial resolution using an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) predicted Wavelet method. Landsat images over the two cities for a 30-year period, are classified in terms of vegetation, buildings, soil and water. The classifications are then processed using Indifrag software to assess the levels of fragmentation caused by changes in the areas of buildings, vegetation, water and soil over the 30 years. The extents of fragmentation of vegetation, buildings, water and soil for the two cities are compared, while the percentages of vegetation are compared with recommended percentages of green space for urban areas for the benefit of health and well-being of inhabitants. Changes in Ecosystem Service Values (ESVs) resulting from the urbanization have been assessed for Wuhan and Sydney. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for urban areas are being assessed by researchers to better understand how to achieve the sustainability of cities.     

From 2D and 3D GIS for CyberCity

In order to understand the 3D landscape with many high buildings in a city, the 2D GIS has to be extended to 3D GIS. The further development of CyberCity has to include various applications of 3D scenes from the outdoor scenes to the indoor ones. In thispaper, some key techniques, such as data management method and dynamicalvisualization method for the outdoor and the indoor scenes, are discussed. The indoor scene is compared with the outdoor one. The idea of integratedrepresentation of the outdoor and the indoor scenes in CyberCity GIS is discussed. Funded by the open research fund program of LIESMARS (No. 010302).     

Improving classification accuracy of spectrally similar land covers in the rangeland and plateau areas with a combination of WorldView-2 and UAV images

This study aims to increase the accuracy of the object based classification approach to differentiate the spectrally similar land cover types to create thematic maps depicting the current land use status in rangeland. Firstly, the multispectral and panchromatic bands of a WorldView-2 MS and Pan images are fused. The fused WV-2 image is then classified with object based approach using Support Vector Machines (SVMs) classifier (Method 1). The overall classification accuracy for Method 1 is found to be 88.6%. Secondly, UAV ortho-image is utilised for segmentation process, which is required for the object based SVM classification of the WV-2 MS image (Method 2). The overall classification accuracy for Method 2 is obtained as 92.4%. It is realised that the Method 2 increases the object based classification accuracy by 4%, compared to Method 1. This result reveals that the object based classification of the UAV and WV-2 MS images makes significant contribution to the classification accuracy.     

城市三维重建误差的检测与控制策略

纵观国内外的城市三维重建工程,其质量控制基本依靠人机交互检查和修改,手段原始、随机性大、效果不佳。本文在对其误差的来源、性质、影响进行分析的基础上;研制了其中几种典型误差的检测方法;提出了一整套包括生产过程的质量约束和误差补偿两种基本手段的误差控制策略。最后,结合实例验证了本方案的可行性和有效性。     

Comparison of sampling strategies for object-based classification of urban vegetation from Very High Resolution satellite images

Vegetation monitoring is becoming a major issue in the urban environment due to the services they procure and necessitates an accurate and up to date mapping. Very High Resolution satellite images enable a detailed mapping of the urban tree and herbaceous vegetation. Several supervised classifications with statistical learning techniques have provided good results for the detection of urban vegetation but necessitate a large amount of training data. In this context, this study proposes to investigate the performances of different sampling strategies in order to reduce the number of examples needed. Two windows based active learning algorithms from state-of-art are compared to a classical stratified random sampling and a third combining active learning and stratified strategies is proposed. The efficiency of these strategies is evaluated on two medium size French cities, Strasbourg and Rennes, associated to different datasets. Results demonstrate that classical stratified random sampling can in some cases be just as effective as active learning methods and that it should be used more frequently to evaluate new active learning methods. Moreover, the active learning strategies proposed in this work enables to reduce the computational runtime by selecting multiple windows at each iteration without increasing the number of windows needed.     

3维地理信息系统在城市轨道交通中的应用分析

随着城市轨道交通的快速发展,其庞大、复杂、多专业、多门类的特点对城市交通管理工作提出了更高的要求。3维GIS是目前测绘学科研究的热点之一,作为GIS发展的趋势,在诸多行业中扮演着重要的角色,应用日趋广泛和深入。本文结合城市轨道交通论述了3维GIS的发展现状,对其在城市轨道交通领域的应用进行了分析。