Practical 2: Spectral Enhancement: Image Arithmetic and Indicies

Spectral Enhancement: Image Arithmetic and Indicies

Introduction The spectral properties of multi-spectral digital imagery can be used effectively to enhance information about surface types present in the imagery. We have seen that different surfaces (land, ocean, atmosphere) have distinct reflective/emissive characteristics at different spectral wavelengths. We can use these distinct characteristics to enhance the imagery by combining reflectance/emittance digital number (DN) values from different image bands to emphasise features in the imagery. One way of combining information is by using image arithmetic. Standard forms of image arithmetic have been developed to enhance certain surface features present in many digital images. This practical demonstrates the use of one particular category of image arithmetic (vegetation indices) that is frequently used to enhance areas of vegetation in multispectral imagery over land surfaces. Image arithmetic is very simple to apply. In essence, it involves combining pixel DNs on a per-pixel basis from different bands to produce a new value in a new image. For example, suppose we had available to us a five band AVHRR image. To produce one kind of vegetation index image, on a per-pixel basis we subtract the red from the infra-red band. The result of this simple sum is placed in a new image file (a vegetation index image). In the new image, pixels with a large vegetation content will result in a relatively high value compared with non-vegetation pixel surfaces that have a relatively low value (remember the spectral response curves for different surface materials):
AVHRR Multi-spectral Image Band 1 (Red) Band 2 (Red+IR) Band 3 (NIR) Band 4 (MIR) Band 5 (TIR) Vegetation Index =DN(Red+IR) - DN(Red) Vegetation Index Image

Image arithmetic here is simply the subtraction of the DN in one band from that in anothar at the same pixel location. Other kinds of image arithmetic produce different results and for this practical you will apply three vegetation indices to three different image files that each have different spatial resolutions and spectral characteristics. Resources to be used Image data: Filename: Reading_3b.img Description: SPOT XS (multi-spectral) acquired over south Reading on 20m Spatial resolution. 3 Spectral bands corresponding to: Band 1 (0.63-0.69 m (red) Band 2 (0.76-0.90 m (NIR) Band 3 (1.55-1.75 m (SW IR) Filename: UK_5b.img Description: NOAA AVHRR image acquired over the UK on 1.1 km spatial resolution 5 spectral bands corresponding to: Band 1 (red) Band 2 (red + NIR) Band 3 (NIR) Band 4 (MIR) Band 5 (TIR) Filename: Norway_7b.img Description: Landsat TM image acquired over Norway 30 m spatial resolution 7 spectral bands corresponding to: Band 1 Band 2 Band 3 Band 4 Band 5 Band 6 Band 7 Application 1 Agricultural scene

Practical 2: Spectral Enhancement: Image Arithmetic and Indicies

Start Erdas Imagine and load in the SPOT XS image of south Reading (Reading_3b.img). Make sure that you load the image in as a True Colour display. Using the map provided familiarise and generally orientate yourself with the area covered by the image.
On the Icon Panel, push the Interpreter button and on the Image Interpreter sub-window, press the Spectral Enhancement... button. On the Spectral Enhancement sub-window, press the Indices... button to bring up the image indicies dialogue window. In the Input File option, enter Reading_3b.img and press the enter button. In the Output File option, enter a filename that you wish to call the file (e.g. VegInd.img) and press the enter button. Since Reading is a SPOT XS image, make sure that the Sensor Options is set to SPOT XS. Now choose from the Select Function the index marked Veg. Ind.. You will see that the Function changes below to band 3 band 2. Click the OK button and a vegetation index image will be created. Once the job is complete, open a new image viewer (Viewer#2) and view the file VegInd.img. Try to explain the variations in grey level that you see in the vegetation index image: what are the causes of the light and dark grey areas? Repeat this procedure but this time use the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (or NDVI). Call this file VegNDVI.img). Once the job has been completed, open a third viewer (Viewer#3) from the Icon Panel and load in the NDVI file that you have just created. Compare the two vegetation index files (in Viewer#2 and Viewer#3) and try to explain the differences you see in discussion with a neighbour (hint, you can link Viewer#2 and Viewer#3 by right clicking in Viewer#2 and selecting Geo. link/unlink and then clicking with the left button in Viewer#3. Use the cursor function (+) to display individual pixels in each window). Application 2 UK Landcover scene

Clear all three viewers and repeat the above procedure this time using the NOAA AVHRR image file UK_5b.img. When you select the sensor type, change the selected one to AVHRR rather than SPOT XS as before. Try to explain the variations in vegetation indices not only in land areas but also in areas of cloud and ocean.
Application 3 Multiple surface types over part of Norway Finally, repeat the procedure but this time using the Landsat TM image Norway_7b.img. Try to explain the vegetation index variations that you see with respect to: snow and ice water vegetation shadows (land and cloud) cloud Consolidation

You have now examined vegetation indices for three different kinds of images acquired at different ocations and at different spatial resolutions. Try to think why one might use the NDVI in favour of the simple vegetation index. Also, try to think how these indices might be used in practice for image enhancement purposes.
References that you should look to General Text books Barrett, E.C. and Curtis, L.F. 1992 Introduction to Environmental Remote Sensing , 3rd Edition, Chapman and Hall. Campbell, J.B. 1996 Principles of Remote Sensing, London: Chapman and Hall. Chapter Jensen, J., 2005 (3rd ed.) Introductory Image Processing: a remote sensing perspective, Pearson Prentice Hall, New Jersey. Lillesand, T. M., Kieffer, R. W. and Chapman, J. W. (2004) Remote Sensing and Image Interpretation, Wiley: John Wiley and Sons. Ltd.

Selected Series papers: Danson and Plummer, Curran and Foody

Selected Useful Journal References Purevdorj, Ts., Tateishi, R., Ishiyama, T. and Reddy, P.R. 1998 Relationships between percent vegetation cover and vegetation indices. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 19, 3519-3536. Laporte, N.T., Goetz, S.J., Justice, C.O. and Heonicke, M. 1998 A new land cover map of central Africa derived from multi-resolution, multi-temporal AVHRR data. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 19, 3537-3550. Tucker, C.J. and Seller, P.J. 1986 Satellite remote sensing of primary production, International Journal of Remote Sensing, 7, 1395-1416. Huete, A.R. 1988 A soil adjusted vegetation index (SAVI), Remote Sensing of Environment, 25, 295-309.