ISO CLUSTER CLASSIFIER BY ARCGIS FOR UNSUPERVISED CLASSIFICATION OF THE LANDSAT TM IMAGE OF REYKJAVÍK

The paper presents the use of the Landsat TM image processed by the ArcGIS Spatial Analyst Tool for environmental mapping of southwestern Iceland, region of Reykjavik. Iceland is one of the most special Arctic regions with unique flora and landscapes. Its environment is presented by vulnerable ecosystems of highlands where vegetation is affected by climate, human or geologic factors: overgrazing, volcanism, annual temperature change. Therefore, mapping land cover types in Iceland contribute to the nature conservation, sustainable development and environmental monitoring purposes. This paper starts by review of the current trends in remote sensing, the importance of Landsat TM imagery for environmental mapping in general and Iceland in particular, and the requirements of GIS specifically for satellite image analysis. This is followed by the extended methodological workflow supported by illustrative print screens and technical description of data processing in ArcGIS. The data used in this research include Landsat TM image which was captured using GloVis and processed in ArcGIS. The methodology includes a workflow involving several technical steps of raster data processing in ArcGIS: 1) coordinate projecting, 2) panchromatic sharpening, 3) inspection of raster statistics, 4) spectral bands combination, 5) calculations, 6) unsupervised classification, 7) mapping. The classification was done by clustering technique using ISO Cluster algorithm and Maximum Likelihood Classification. This paper finally presents the results of the ISO Cluster application for Landsat TM image processing and concludes final remarks on the perspectives of environmental mapping based on Landsat TM image processing in ArcGIS.The results of the classification present landscapes divided into eight distinct land cover classes: 1) bare soils; 2) shrubs and smaller trees in the river valleys, urban areas including green spaces; 3) water areas; 4) forests including the Reykjanesfólkvangur National reserve; 5) ice-covered areas, glaciers and cloudy regions; 6) ravine valleys with a sparse type of the vegetation: rowan, alder, heathland, wetland; 7) rocks; 8) mixed areas. The final remarks include the discussion on the development of machine learning methods and opportunities of their technical applications in GIS-based analysis and Earth Observation data processing in ArcGIS, including image analysis and classification, mapping and visualization, machine learning and environmental applications for decision making in forestry and sustainable development.

SAGA GIS for Computing Multispectral Vegetation Indices by Landsat TM for Mapping Vegetation Greenness

Summary The study presents a comparative analysis of eight Vegetation Indices (VIs) used to examine vegetation greenness over the northern coasts of Iceland. The geographical extent of the study area is set by the coordinates of the two fjords, Eyjafjörður and Skagafjörður, notable for their agricultural significance. Vegetation in Iceland is fragile due to the harsh climate, climate change, overgrazing and volcanic activity, which increase soil erosion. The study was conducted on a Landsat TM image using SAGA GIS as a technical tool for raster bands calculations. The NDVI dataset shows a range from -0.56 to 0.24, with 0 indicating ‘no vegetation’, and negative values – ‘other surfaces’ (e.g. rocks, open terrain). The DVI, compared to the NDVI, shows statistically non-normalized values ranging from -112 to 0, with extreme negative values while the coastal vegetation areas are badly distinguished from the water areas. The NRVI shows an extent from -0.24 to 0.48 with higher values for vegetation. The NRVI reduces topographic, solar and atmospheric effects and creates a normal data distribution. RVI shows a range in a dataset from 0.2 to 3.2 with vegetation in the river valleys clearly visible and depicted, while the water areas have values 0.8 to 1.0. The CTVI shows corrected TVI, in a data range -0.10 to 1.10, as the dataset of NDVI were negative. The TVI dataset ranges from 0.44 to 0.80 with the ice-covered areas and glaciers distinguishable and water values within a range from 0.60 to 0.64 and the vegetation from 0.60 to 0.44. The TTVI dataset ranges from 0.40 to 0.80 performing similarly to the TVI, but more refined with vegetation values 0.64 to 0.68. SAVI dataset ranges from -0.80 to 0.30 with minimized effects of soil on the vegetation through a constant soil adjustment factor added into the NDVI formula. The paper presents a comparison of eight VIs for Arctic vegetation monitoring. The overall behavior of SAGA GIS in calculation and mapping of the VIs is effective in terms of their use for vegetation mapping of the region.

Evaluating land cover types from Landsat TM using SAGA GIS for vegetation mapping based on ISODATA and K-means clustering

The paper presents the cartographic processing of the Landsat TM image by the two unsupervised classification methods of SAGA GIS: ISODATA and K-means clustering. The approaches were tested and compared for land cover type mapping. Vegetation areas were detected and separated from other land cover types in the study area of southwestern Iceland. The number of clusters was set to ten classes. The processing of the satellite image by SAGA GIS was achieved using Imagery Classification tools in the Geoprocessing menu of SAGA GIS. Unsupervised classification performed effectively in the unlabeled pixels for the land cover types using machine learning in GIS. Following an iterative approach of clustering, the pixels were grouped in each step of the algorithm and the clusters were reassigned as centroids. The paper contributes to the technical development of the application of machine learning in cartography by demonstrating the effectiveness of SAGA GIS in remote sensing data processing applied for vegetation and environmental mapping.

Distance-based vegetation indices computed by SAGA GIS: A comparison of the perpendicular and transformed soil adjusted approaches for the LANDSAT TM image

Landsat-TM of 2001 covering Iceland (15.5°W-21°W, 64.5°N-67°N) was processed using SAGA GIS for testing distance-based Vegetation Indices (VIs): four approaches of Perpendicular Vegetation Index (PVI) and two approaches of Transformed Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index TSAVI. The PVI of vegetation from the soil background line indicated healthiness as a leaf area index (LAI). The results showed that the reflectance for vegetation has a linear relation with soil background line. Four PVI models and two TSAVI shown coefficients of determination with LAI. The dataset demonstrate variations in the calculated coefficients. The mode in the histograms of the PVI based on four different algorithms show the difference:-7.1,-8.36, 2.78 and 7.0. The dataset for the two approaches of TSAVI: first case ranges in 4.4.-80.6 with a bell-shape mode of a histogram (8.09 to 23.29) for the first algorithm and an irregular shape for the second algorithm with several modes starting from 0.11 to 0.2 and decreasing to 0.26. SAGA GIS permits the calculation of PVI and TSAVI by computed NDVI based on the intersection of vegetation and soil background. Masking the NIR and R, a linear regression of grids was performed using an equation embedded in SAGA GIS. The advantages of the distance-based PVI and TSAVI consists in the adjusted position of pixels on the soil brightness line which refines it comparing to the slope-based VIs. The paper demonstrates SAGA GIS application in agricultural studies.

SAGA GIS for Information Extraction on Presence and Conditions of Vegetation of Northern Coast of Iceland Based on the Landsat TM

The paper aims to evaluate the presence and condition of vegetation by SAGA GIS. The study area covers northern coasts of Iceland including two fjords, the Eyjafjörður and the Skagafjörður, prosperous agricultural regions. The vegetation coverage in Iceland experience the impact of harsh climate, land use, livestock grazing, glacial ablation and volcanism. The data include the Landsat TM image. The methodology is based on computing raster bands for simulating Tassel Cap Transformation (wetness, greenness and brightness) and Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) sensitive to high biomass. The results include modelled three bands of brightness, greenness and wetness. Greenness variation shows the least values in ice-covered areas (-56.98 to -18.69). High values (-23.48 to 9.12) are in the valleys with dense vegetation, correlating with the geomorphology of the river network, the vegetation-free areas and ocean which corresponds to the peak of 30.87 to 41.19. The bell-shaped data distribution shows frequency 43.19–141.74 for vegetation indicating healthy state and canopy density. Maximal values are in ice-covered regions and glaciers (64°N-65°N). Very low values (0 to -20) show desertification and mountainous rocks. Moderate values (20-40) indicate healthy vegetation. The most frequent data: -28,17 to 11,8. The EVI shows data variations (-0.14 to 0.04). The study contributes both to the regional studies of Arctic Iceland and methodological approach of remote sensing data processing by SAGA GIS.

Hyperspectral Vegetation Indices Calculated by Qgis Using Landsat Tm Image: a Case Study of Northern Iceland

The vegetation indices (VIs) derived from the hyperspectral reflectance of vegetation are presented in this study for monitoring live green vegetation in the northern ecosystems of Iceland, along the fjords of Eyjafjörđur and the Skagafjörđur. The comparative analysis of the following VIs was performed: the NDVI, RVI, NRVI, TVI, CTVI, TTVI and SAVI. The methodology is based on the raster calculator band in a QGIS. The dataset includes a Landsat TM scene of 2013, UTM Zone 53, WGS84 captured from the GloVis. The computed bands include the NIR and R spectral bands and their combinations according to the algorithms of each of the seven VIs. The hyperspectral reflectance and crop canopy computations were applied to generate various scales of VIs and demonstrated following data range: NDVI: -0.91 to 0.65, RVI: 0.22 to 19.65, NRVI: 0.63 to 0.90, TVI: 0 to 1.12, CTVI: -0.64 to 1.07, TTVI: 0.70 to 1.18 and SAVI: -1.36 to 0.99 (roughly to 1.00). Of these, the RVI, NRVI, TVI and TTVI are adjusted to the positive values while the NDVI, CTVI and SAVI do include the negative diapason in the dataset due to the computing algorithm. The algorithms of the seven VIs are described and visualized in form of maps based on the multispectral remote sensing Landsat TM imagery identifying vegetated areas, their health condition and distribution of green areas against the bare soils, rocks, ocean water, lakes and ice-covered glaciers. The paper contributes both to the technical presentation of the QGIS functionality for the Landsat TM data processing by a raster calculator, and to the regional geographic studies of Iceland and Arctic ecosystems.

Assessment of Forest Cover Change of Dang, an Inner Terai District of Nepal

This study analyzed the dynamics of changes of forest cover classes in the inner Terai District Dang, Nepal, based on Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) images from two different years, viz., 1990 and 2011. Forest cover change analysis was performed through the analysis of a classified Landsat TM image using supervised classification. The overall classification accuracy for seven different land cover classes considered in this study were 80.37% and 80.56% for years 1990 and 2011, respectively. These classified images were further reclassified as forest and non-forest to analyze forest cover dynamics effectively using the post classification change detection. The results indicated that during 1990-2011, the total spatial areal coverage of forest land converted into other land cover was 20612 ha (shrub-land), 8571 ha (agriculture), and 2787 ha (others) non-forest classes. A significant portion of non-forest classes was also converted into forest (e.g., 11433 ha of shrubland, 5663 ha of agriculture, and 5581 ha of other non forest classes). Sand and water bodies remained more or less constant during this period. While forest cover was estimated to be disappearing at the rate of 0.2% per year, dense forest appears to be converting into a sparse forest at the rate of 0.1% per year. Future study to assess the causes and driving forces of forest cover change in Nepal should get guidance from this study on where to target interventions.

Shoreline Changes Dynamics at Bangkalan Regency

Coastal dynamics and stability becomes the distinctive characteristics in northern coastal at Bangkalan. Coastal morphology are dominated by beach sloping, substrate, and hydrooceanographics factors. One of the indicators was suspended sediment fluctuations. This study aims to know the shoreline changes use indicator suspended sediment and image overlay analysis. The research was conducted in April 2015 in the northern and western coastal region of Bangkalan. The main material in this study was suspended sediment samples and the substrates were taken at 28 points, and the image data of Landsat TM 1994 and 2014. Analysis of sediment suspension is using gravimetric method and substrate analysis using ASTM method. Data analyzed at the Laboratory of Marine Science, Trunojoyo University. The result shows in the northern and western coast at Bangkalan regency is dominated by sand and mud as well as a mixture both of them, the coastal waters are dynamic. The distribution of suspended sediment are relatively diverse in all locations with a range of 25-190 mg/L and can be used as an early indication of shoreline changes as a result of erosion and sedimentation. Landsat TM image analysis using 1994-2014 showed almost all areas in the northern and western coastal at Bangkalan regency are both abrasion and sedimentation.