%0 Journal Article
%T Mapping Urban Tree Species Using Very High Resolution£¿Satellite Imagery: Comparing Pixel-Based and Object-Based Approaches
%A Shivani Agarwal
%A Lionel Sujay Vailshery
%A Madhumitha Jaganmohan
%A Harini Nagendra
%J ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information
%D 2013
%I MDPI AG
%R 10.3390/ijgi2010220
%X We assessed the potential of multi-spectral GeoEye imagery for biodiversity assessment in an urban context in Bangalore, India. Twenty one grids of 150 by 150 m were randomly located in the city center and all tree species within these grids mapped in the field. The six most common species, collectively representing 43% of the total trees sampled, were selected for mapping using pixel-based and object-based approaches. All pairs of species were separable based on spectral reflectance values in at least one band, with Peltophorum pterocarpum being most distinct from other species. Object-based approaches were consistently superior to pixel-based methods, which were particularly low in accuracy for tree species with small canopy sizes, such as Cocos nucifera and Roystonea regia. There was a strong and significant correlation between the number of trees determined on the ground and from object-based classification. Overall, object-based approaches appear capable of discriminating the six most common species in a challenging urban environment, with substantial heterogeneity of tree canopy sizes.
%K urban ecology
%K tree diversity
%K ecological monitoring
%K hyperspatial imagery
%K India
%U http://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/2/1/220