Grays Lake NWR Wetland Vegetation Classification
[Completed February 2001]
The objective of this project was to map wetland vegetation at Grays Lake NWR using merged SPOT and IRS (Indian Remote Sensing) satellite imagery. Specific research objectives include applying a hybrid unsupervised/supervised classification technique, supported by field work, to generate a digital polygon layer characteristic of dominant wetland vegetation present at the refuge. In this project, the SPOT image, with four spectral bands, provides potentially useful spectral information, particularly in the near infrared and middle infrared section of the electromagnetic spectrum. The IRS image, on the other hand, provides high spatial resolution within the visible section of the electromagnetic spectrum. Several techniques are available for merging images with different spatial resolutions. Our classification approach is considered a semi-supervised, or hybrid supervised-unsupervised classification because it involves techniques found in traditional supervised and unsupervised classification. The cover types on the final classification can be linked or “cross-walked” to The Nature Conservancy’s Western Alliance Classification. Making the association between the final cover type legend and the NVSC was based on the species composition documented on the field form, and the description of the alliance in the NVCS.
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