Targeted information collection for nuclear verification: a combination of object-based images analysis and pixel-based change detection with very high resolution satellite data exemplified for Iranian nuclear sites

摘要

Since the availability of spatial high resolution satellite imagery, the use of remote sensing data has become very important for nuclear monitoring and verification purposes. For the detection of small structural objects in highresolution imagery recent object-based procedures seem to be more significant than the traditional pixel-based approaches. The detection of undeclared changes within facilities is a key issue of nuclear verification. Monitoring nuclear sites based on a satellite imagery database requires the automation of image processing steps. The change detection procedures in particular should automatically discriminate significant changes from the background. Besides detection, also identification and interpretation of changes is crucial. This paper proposes an new targeted change detection methodology for nuclear verification. Pixel-based change detection and object-based image analysis are combined to detect, identify and interpret significant changes within nuclear facilities using multitemporal satellite data. The methodology and its application to case studies on Iranian nuclear facilities will be presented.