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SLAR images are being analysed by the USGS to support mapping of geologic structures in the folded and thrust-faulted Appalachian Mountains, geological hazard appraisal, and monitoring of foliage cover for use in geological research. Four examples of SLAR imagery acquired during the 1982 flight program are illustrated and discussed.-R.House
Calibration and testing of aerial mapping cameras includes the measurement of optical constants and the check for proper functioning of a number of complicated mechanical and electrical parts. For this purpose the US Geological Survey performs an operational type photographic calibration. This paper is not strictly a scientific paper but rather a 'user guide' to the USGS Report of Calibration of an aerial mapping camera for compliance with both Federal and State mapping specifications. -Author
A knowledge-based geographic information system (KBGIS) approach which requires development of a rule base for both GIS processing and for the geological engineering application has been implemented. The rule bases are implemented in the Goldworks expert system development shell interfaced to the Earth Resources Data Analysis System (ERDAS) raster-based GIS for input and output. GIS analysis procedures including recoding, intersection, and union are controlled by the rule base, and the geological engineering map product is generted by the expert system. The KBGIS has been used to generate a geological engineering map of Creve Coeur, Missouri.
A system has been developed that establishes a standardized cartographic database for each of the 19 planets and major satellites that have been explored to date. Compilation of the databases involves both traditional and newly developed digital image processing and mosaicking techniques, including radiometric and geometric corrections of the images. Each database, or digital image model (DIM), is a digital mosaic of spacecraft images that have been radiometrically and geometrically corrected and photometrically modeled. During compilation, ancillary data files such as radiometric calibrations and refined photometric values for all camera lens and filter combinations and refined camera-orientation matrices for all images used in the mapping are produced.
New procedures and software have been developed for geometric transformations of images to support digital cartography of the planets. The procedures involve the correction of spacecraft camera orientation of each image with the use of ground control and the transformation of each image to a Sinusoidal Equal-Area map projection with an algorithm which allows the number of transformation calculations to vary as the distortion varies within the image. When the distortion is low in an area of an image, few transformation computations are required, and most pixels can be interpolated. When distortion is extreme, the location of each pixel is computed. Mosaics are made of these images and stored as digital databases.
Previous biconical reflectance measurements of 13 different plant species have shown that leaves display spectral signatures in the 8- to 14-??m atmospheric window that vary with species. Directional hemispherical reflectance measurements of six species reported here document the absolute magnitude of such spectral features for the first time. If half of the spectral contrast in leaf spectra is preserved in emittance from a broad-leaf planophile canopy, then at least some broad-leafed species could be mapped remotely by using currently available airborne instrumentation. -Authors
A generalized methodology for applying digital Landsat data to resource inventory and assessment tasks is currently being used by several bureaux and agencies within the US Department of the Interior. The methodology includes definition of project objectives and output, identification of source materials, construction of the digital data base, performance of computer-assisted analyses, and generation of output. The USGS, Bureau of Land Management, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Reclamation, and National Park Service have used this generalized methodology to assemble comprehensive digital data bases for resource management. Advanced information processing techniques have been applied to these data bases for making regional environmental surveys on millions of acres of public lands at costs ranging from $0.01 to $0.08 an acre.-Author
Proponents of the digital era recognize that a break-through in mass storage technology may be required to attain a reasonable degree of computerization of the cartographic mapping and data management process. This paper provides the rationale for estimating that about 1014 bits of digital mass storage are needed for developing a digital 1:24 000-scale topographic data base of the US. Also, it will discuss the optical disk as a leading candidate for handling the mass storage dilemma.-from Author
A major shortfall that still exists in digital systems is the need for very large mass storage capacity. The decade of the 1980s has introduced laser optical disk storage technology, which may be the breakthrough needed for mass storage. This paper addresses system concepts for digital cartography during the transition period. Emphasis will be placed on determining USGS mass storage requirements and introducing laser optical disk technology for handling storage problems for digital data in this decade.-from Author
The landscape diversity index indicates the number of classes of land that are in proximity to each point in a digital grid cell map. The index is D=100(i-1)/(n-1), where i = the number of landscape classes within a selected distance of each grid cell and n = the total number of mapped classes. The use of the index is illustrated by calculating the diversity index at each grid cell for each of five mapped classes and displaying the resulting diversity index map that portrays the complexity of the scene. The method is applicable to land-use planning, site selection, or description of landscape complexity.-Author
The classification error matrix typically contains tabulated results of accuracy evaluation for a thematic classification, such as a land-use and land-cover map. Diagonal elements of the matrix represent counts correct. The usual designation of classification accuracy has been total percent correct. Nondiagonal elements of the matrix have usually been neglected. A coefficient of agreement is determined for the interpreted map as a whole, and individually for each interpreted category. These coefficients utilize all cell values in the matrix.-from Authors
This paper deals principally with Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) image maps as published by the US Geological Survey (USGS). Landsat data have certain characteristics that make them suitable for conversion into image maps. These characteristics involve 1) spatial resolution, 2) geometric fidelity, and 3) spectral response. This paper analyzes the three mentioned characteristics and discusses the processes involved in producing TM image maps.-from Author
The USGS Mini Image Processing System currently relies on a polynomial method for geometric correction of Landsat multispectral scanner (MSS) data. A large number of ground control points are required because polynomials do not model the sources of error. In order to reduce the number of necessary points, a set of mathematical equations modeling the Landsat satellite motions and MSS scanner has been derived and programmed. A best fit to the equations is obtained by using a least-squares technique that permits computation of the satellite orientation and position parameters based on only a few control points.-from Author
Information regarding the characteristics and spatial distribution of the Earth's land cover is critical to global environmental research. A prototype land-cover database for the conterminous United States designed for use in a variety of global modelling, monitoring, mapping, and analytical endeavors has been created. The resultant database contains multiple layers, including the source AVHRR data, the ancillary data layers, the land-cover regions defined by the research, and translation tables linking the regions to other land classification schema (for example, UNESCO, USGS Anderson System). The land-cover characteristics database can be analyzed, transformed, or aggregated by users to meet a broad spectrum of requirements. -from Authors
The Denali National Park and Preserve 1:250,000-scale image map has been prepared and published as part of the US Geological Survey's (USGS) continuing research to improve image mapping techniques. Nine multispectral scanner (MSS) images were geometrically corrected, digitally mosaicked, and enhanced at the National Mapping Division's (NMD) EROS Data Center (EDC). This process involves ground control and digital resampling to the Universal Tranverse Mercator (UTM) projection. This paper specifically discusses the preparation of the digital mosaic and the production peculiarities associated with the Denali National Park and Preserve image map.
Landsat Thematic Mapper image data were analyzed to determine their ability to discriminate red cone basalts from gray flow basalts and sedimentary country rocks for three volcanic fields in the southwestern United States. Analyses of all of the possible three-band combinations of the six nonthermal bands indicate that the combination of bands 1, 4, and 5 best discriminates among these materials. The color-composite image of these three bands unambiguously discriminates 89 percent of the mapped red volcanic cones in the three volcanic fields. Mineralogic and chemical analyses of collected samples indicate that discrimination is facilitated by the presence of hematite as a major mineral phase in the red cone basalts (hematite is only a minor mineral phase in the gray flow basalts and red sedimentary rocks).
Merging image data collected by different remote sensors is becoming an increasingly important component of digital processing. In this study, two data sets with very different characteristics were digitally merged, and a single data set, which contains information from both sets, was generated. Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data were selected for their spectral information, and a digitized panchromatic photograph collected as part of the National High Altitude Program (NHAP), with approximately 4-m resolution after being digitized, was used for the primary spatial information. Five image control points and a second-order polynomial fit were used to combine the information from both data sets.-from Author
A filter toolbox has been developed at the EROS Data Center, US Geological Survey, for retrieving or removing specified frequency information from two-dimensional digital spatial data. This filter toolbox provides capabilities to compute the power spectrum of a given data and to design various filters in the frequency domain. Three types of filters are available in the toolbox: point filter, line filter, and area filter. Both the point and line filters employ Gaussian-type notch filters, and the area filter includes the capabilities to perform high-pass, band-pass, low-pass, and wedge filtering techniques. These filters are applied for analyzing satellite multispectral scanner data, airborne visible and infrared imaging spectrometer (AVIRIS) data, gravity data, and the digital elevation models (DEM) data. -from Author