Document Type

Student Presentation

Presentation Date

4-17-2017

Faculty Sponsor

Nancy Glenn

Abstract

Multi-temporal satellite imagery can be used to map species level vegetation across large areas. This is due to the fact that plants have unique spectral signatures in the electromagnetic spectrum and satellite imagery collects data from specific areas of the electromagnetic spectrum in different wavelengths (or bands) and over different time periods. However, in order to use satellite imagery to map vegetation using spectral signatures, vegetation information from the ground is needed to “train and validate” the satellite imagery. One of the ways of collecting vegetation information is using signature plots. Signature plots are high resolution local images collected with a digital camera of ground vegetation in a specific environment. These signature plots can then be analyzed using a computer software called SamplePoint in order to produce a percent vegetation cover for different vegetation species for the area which the camera covers. The percent vegetation cover information can then be used to train and validate the satellite imagery. SamplePoint offers a unique way to expand small physical observations to large landscapes.

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