PUBLICATION NOTICE: Forest Cover Index for Tree Cover Detection Using Landsat-7 Multispectral Imagery

The US Army Engineer Research and Development Center has published the report/note described and linked below. Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

Report Number:

ERDC/GRL TR-19-1

Title:

Forest Cover Index for Tree Cover Detection Using Landsat-7 Multispectral Imagery

Author(s):

Luisa I. Feliciano-Cruz, Sarah J. Becker, Kristofer D. Lasko, Craig S.T. Daughtry, and Andrew L. Russ

Purpose/Abstract:

Forest cover monitoring using satellite imagery is important to U.S. military terrain analysis. Mobility models, cover and concealment, and precise surface feature delineation all rely on an accurate forest/non-forest cover layer. However, the challenge remains in distinguishing trees from other vegetative land covers when relying on single date imagery. A Forest Cover Index (FCI) algorithm was previously developed on Worldview-2 imagery and was designed to separate forest cover from non-forest covered areas. In this research, the FCI algorithm was applied to Landsat-7 imagery using the analogous red (636-673 nanometers (nm)) and near-infrared bands (851-878 nm) from a peak summer image on 16 August 2012. The results obtained with Landsat-7 imagery proved satisfactory with an overall accuracy (tree cover versus non-tree cover) of > 83 percent, according to testing with two different accuracy assessment tests. The application of the FCI to Landsat-7 imagery broadens the applicability of the FCI to freely available imagery.

26 pgs / 3.1 mb

CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED

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