Geomorphological signatures: classification of aggregated slope unit objects from digital elevation and remote sensing data
✍ Scribed by Giles, Philip T.
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1998
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 372 KB
- Volume
- 23
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0360-1269
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
The concept of a geomorphological signature is developed for classifying and mapping slope units with an automated procedure for analysing digital elevation and remote sensing data. Slope units are extracted from a digital elevation model (DEM) using a break of slope rule on downslope profiles. Each slope unit is an aggregated object of contiguous pixels and is summarized with five suites of variables: shape, topography, topographic variability, spectral characteristics, and variability in spectral characteristics. The variables are derived from the DEM and a corresponding SPOT satellite image.
A ten-class scheme is used to classify slope units for a study area in southwest Yukon, Canada. Discriminant analysis results show the power of various combinations of variables to distinguish the classes, with a maximum classification accuracy of 90 per cent. Training signatures are employed for classifying the entire study area to produce a map with 88•5 per cent accuracy. The study shows that generating extensive geomorphological signatures for aggregated slope unit objects is a valuable exercise for discrimination and mapping.