Multitemporal spectroradiometry-guided object-oriented classification of salt marsh vegetation

ABSTRACT This study addresses the use of multitemporal field spectral data, satellite imagery, and LiDAR top of canopy data to classify and map common salt marsh plant communities. Visible to near-infrared (VNIR) reflectance spectra were measured in the field to assess the phenological variability of the dominant species i Spartina patens, Phragmites australis and Typha spp. The field spectra and single date LiDAR canopy height data were used to define an object-oriented classification methodology for the plant communities in multitemporal QuickBird imagery. The classification was validated using an extensive field inventory of marsh species. Overall classification accuracies were 97% for Phragmites , 63% for Typha spp. and 80% for S. patens meadows. Using a fuzzy assessment analysis, these accuracies were 97%, 76%, and 92%, respectiv ely, for the three major species. Keywords: salt marsh; vegetation monitoring; image classification; Phragmites australis; QuickBird; LiDAR; spectroradiometer, image se gmentation, Connecticut