Acquisition of Terrain Information Using LANDSAT Multispectral Data. Report 2. An Interactive Procedure for Classifying Terrain Types by Spectral Characteristics.

摘要

Developed in the study reported herein was a semiautomated procedure for classifying LANDSAT radiance data in terms of preselected land-use categories. The procedure is an interim solution to the problem of mapping very large areas in terms of relatively crude categories in very short periods of time. Operation of the procedure requires an analyst to direct a computer by means of interactive instructions to search for all the 3 by 3 pixel arrays exhibiting spectral signatures that conform to a selected criterion of homogeneity. The computer then retrieves these signatures from within the array of LANDSAT radiance values and groups them into spectrally similar clusters. The clusters are then displayed on a color coded map overlay from which the analyst must provide the final interpretation and classification. The area selected for study is centered approximately 40 km northeast of Vicksburg, Mississippi. The area includes a representative section of loess hills, forming the eastern wall of the Mississippi floodplain, and a section of the floodplain, including an oxbow lake and a number of other floodplain features. (Author)