Embedding Spatial Pattern Analysis in Forest Cover Change Assessments

Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA) provides an intuitive, repeatable, and scale independent description of forest spatial patterns. The MSPA analysis, and tailored derived indices, can be used to interpret the relation of forest spatial pattern and forest resources. In this study, this precise MSPA pattern assessment is utilized for a novel robust forest pattern changes analysis. The objective of the change detection is to reliably detect coherent forest change areas and to exclude uncertainties due to differences in image quality, ortho-correction, and classification accuracy of the input images. For this purpose change is being quantified according to changes of morphological criteria. The principal processing steps are explained and illustrated on synthetic and sample data sets. The reliable assessment of forest pattern and its change in time is a prerequisite for a meaningful understanding and interpretation of forest landscape dynamics, as well as measuring progress in biodiversity and landscape planning policies. It will also help to monitor and quantify the impact of human activities on forest pattern in order to establish an effective, feasible, and meaningful design of future forest resource strategies.

VOGT Peter;  STROBL Peter;  SEEBACH Lucia; 

2011-01-20

COMMONWEALTH FORESTRY ASSOC

JRC62894

1465-5489,   

https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC62894,