Digital Image Classification

Dr. A K Saha Geography, DU Digital image classification is the process of assigning a pixel (or groups of pixels) of remote sensing image to a land cover class. The objective is to classify each pixel into only one class (crisp or hard classification) or to associate the pixel with many classes (fuzzy or soft classification). The classification techniques may be categorized either on the basis of training process (supervised and unsupervised) or on the basis of theoretical model (parametric and nonparametric). Several classification algorithms (classifiers) have been developed under this categorization. For instance, Maximum Likelihood Classifier (MLC) is a supervised parametric algorithm whereas k-means clustering is an unsupervised parametric algorithm. Generally, supervised classification is performed that has three distinct stages namely training, allocation and testing. Training is the identification of a sample of pixels of known class membership gathered from reference data such as ground truth, existing maps and aerial photographs. These training pixels are used to derive various statistics (e.g. mean and standard deviation) for each land cover class and are input to the second stage of the classification. In this stage, the pixels of the image are allocated to the class with which they show the greatest similarity based on the statistics. After classification in the allocation stage, the accuracy of classification is determined in the final stage. A sample or group of testing pixels is selected and their class identities are compared on both the classified image and the reference data. The pixels of agreement and disagreement for each testing sample are represented in the form of an error matrix, which can then be used to evaluate the classification accuracy.

Exercise: 1) Image display and interpretation:

1. Open Erdas Imagine 2. Click on Viewer 3. Open the LISS III image: Viewer > File > Open > Raster Layer > Select File "lissiii.img" > press OK 4. Click on Viewer again 5. Open the PAN image: Viewer > File > Open > Raster Layer > Select File "pan.img" > press OK 6. Place two windows side by side and study the images 7. Interpret the image and find out the classes in the area.

2) Class definition:
The following classes are present in the area: a) Forest b) Fallow c) Villages d) River e) River sediment / Landslides

3) Training area selection:

1. Erdas Main Manu > Classification > Signature Editor 2. In Signature editor window: Edit > Image association >select "lissiii.img" > Press OK 3. In LISS III viewer window: Click on "AOI" > Tool> click on " + " sign and then button left to "close" icon. 4. Select pixels on the image by clicking the mouse on the pixels. Select 15 pixels for each class. 5. After selection of AOI for each class > group the pixels and save the AOI in different files: Grouping of sample pixels: a) Click on arrow icon on viewer window. b) Place the mouse on all the pixels selected while pressing, "shift" on keyboard. c) Click on AOI>group

Save the AOI: a) viewer > file > save > AOI layer as> write the name river.aoi for river samples and so on. b) Do the same for all.

Now, 1. Select each group of samples and then activate Signature editor window: Edit > add 2. In signature editor: after all the samples entered: check for Statistics, histogram etc. i. View > Statistics ii. View > Histograms iii. View > Mean plots etc.

3. Save the training data set: File > save as> "training.sig"

4) Classification / Allocation:
1. On Signature editor window > Classify > Supervised> name the output as "landcover.img" and rest as "default"> ok 2. Display the landcover.img file in a separate viewer and study the visual quality of classified image. 3. Check the image attribute: LISS III display window>Attributes

5) Testing of classification accuracy: 1. Erdas main menu> Classification> accuracy assessment>file> open> "landcover.img" 2. View> select viewer> click on LISS III display window 3. Edit>Create/add random points>Enter 25 in Number of points> select Equalized random> ok 4. Click on Point# 1,2,3 so on.. Every time the row is activated with yellow highlight > the point is activated on the LISS III image window also (View > Current Selection). Judge the point and put the number in Reference box. 5. Complete for all. 6. Edit > Show class value

7. Determine accuracy: a) Accuracy assessment window> Report> Accuracy Report. b) Accuracy report opens in a confusion/error matrix. c) Check the Overall accuracy and Kappa statistics. d) Save the file as "report.dat" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Reference: 1) Land cover classification from Remote Sensing data - Manoj K Arora, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, Syracuse University http://www.gisdevelopment.net/magazine/gisdev/2002/mar/lccrsd.shtml 2) ERDAS Imagine 8.5 Manual. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------