916
October 2014
PHOTOGRAMMETRIC ENGINEERING & REMOTE SENSING
PHOTOGRAMMETRIC ENGINEERING
& REMOTE SENSING
J
ournal
S
taff
Publisher
Dr. Michael Hauck
Editor
Russell G. Congalton
Technical Editor
Michael S. Renslow
Assistant Editor
Jie Shan
Assistant Director — Publications
Rae Kelley
Electronic Publications Manager/Graphic Artist
Matthew Austin
Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing
is the official journal
of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. It is
devoted to the exchange of ideas and information about the applications of
photogrammetry, remote sensing, and geographic information systems. The
technical activities of the Society are conducted through the following Technical
Divisions: Geographic Information Systems, Photogrammetric Applications,
Lidar, Primary Data Acquisition, Professional Practice, and Remote Sensing
Applications. Additional information on the functioning of the Technical
Divisions and the Society can be found in the Yearbook issue of
PE&RS
.
Correspondence relating to all business and editorial matters pertaining to
this and other Society publications should be directed to the American Society
for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, 5410 Grosvenor Lane, Suite 210,
Bethesda, Maryland 20814-2144, including inquiries, memberships, sub-
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.
PE&RS.
PE&RS
(ISSN0099-1112) is published monthly by the American
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COPYRIGHT 2014
. Copyright by the American Society for Photogrammetry
and Remote Sensing. Reproduction of this issue or any part thereof (except
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LETTER FROM CHANDRA P. GIRI,
UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL
SURVEY
Dear Readers,
Land cover mapping and monitoring is one of
the oldest and most popular applications of
remote sensing. This is partly because timely
and accurate information on land cover and land
cover change is needed for many and diverse
applications at local, national, continental, and
global levels. Although significant advancements
have been made in producing better spatial and
thematic land cover data sets, quantifying the
land cover change on a regular basis remains a
challenge. An additional challenge is to monitor
land cover change at a continental scale. The
highlight article of this issue, “Detection of North American land cover
change between 2005 and 2010 with 250m MODIS data,” addresses key
issues of accurately characterizing and quantifying land cover and land
cover change at a continental scale on an operational basis.
The North American Land Change Monitoring System (NALCMS) is
specifically needed for applications that require consistent continental land
cover information that transcends national boundaries. One example, and
a personal favorite, from the natural resource planning and management
arena is the fascinating migratory phenomenon of monarch butterflies, a
nearly 2,000 mile journey from the United States and Canada to central
Mexican forests. This paper, a culmination of the efforts of the most
distinguished remote sensing scientists in three countries and coordinated
by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) based in Montreal,
Canada, presents an excellent example of transboundary collaboration to
address North American land change monitoring issues. Pre-processing
and classification of remotely sensed data was performed using a scientific
yet practical approach. Pre-processing was performed at a central location,
and regionally tuned classification and change approaches were then used
to capture specific changes in each country. Having realized the need for
quality pre-processed input data, the Canada Center for Remote Sensing
(CCRS) produced monthly composites from MODIS images using an
improved algorithm. Similarly, each country used different land cover change
methods to suit local conditions while retaining the product consistency
at the continental level. This is important because a single continental
algorithm is unlikely to capture the details discerned in this study. Both
abrupt and gradual changes were monitored. Major outcomes of the paper
include: improvements to the 2005 base map, country-specific changes
between this improved map and the updated land cover for the year 2010,
class-specific changes, site-specific analysis of detected land cover changes,
and preliminary results for accuracy assessment. Land cover change is rare.
The paper revealed that only 1.2% of the North American continent changed
from 2005 to 2010. As expected, rates and types of change vary by country.
The authors provided a detailed change analysis synopsis in three case study
sites for each participating country (Canada, U.S. and Mexico). The research
also highlights land cover change detection issues and opportunities using
MODIS 250-m resolution satellite data. Change detection issues include
spectral differences in input data and small changes that are not discernible
in MODIS data due to its coarse spatial resolution. However, high temporal
frequency MODIS data have distinct advantages over other data sources, as
daily image acquisition increases the probability for cloud-free observations
at various stages of ecosystem changes. Moving forward, the research team
plans to produce annual land cover and land cover change products on an
operational basis. Recent advancement in satellite technology, computer
technology, free satellite data availability, and integration of science and
engineering will help achieve this goal. The research findings of this paper
and planned research will contribute significantly to improve our scientific
understanding of North American land cover and land cover change and its
implications to our nature and society.
Chandra Giri
U.S. Geological Survey
