www.environment.gov.

au/ssd

A systematic high resolution remote sensing capture for

the Magela Creek Catchment: A case study using
WorldView 2
Spatial Sciences & Data Integration Program
Presenter: Dr R Bartolo#
e: renee.bartolo@environment.gov.au
# Program Leader, Spatial Sciences and Data Integration

Supervising Scientist - working to protect the environment from the impacts of uranium mining
 Outline
■ Study Region

■ Problem statement and method question

■ Description of WorldView 2 satellite

■ Scheduling a capture
– Specifications, costs and logistics

■ Ground Control Targets

– Size & material
– Positioning & layout

■ Radiometric Calibration Targets

■ Results

■ Lessons Learned

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Study Region: Alligator Rivers Region

Darwin

Jabiru

Alligator Rivers Region

28,000 km2

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Study Region: Alligator Rivers Region (KNP)

Jabiru

Kakadu National Park

19,804 km2

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Study Region: Magela Creek Catchment
Magela Creek Catchment
1,640 km2

Magela Floodplain
236 km2

M
Jabiru ag
el
a
Ranger Cr
ee
k

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 Problem statement: Geometeric control
■ For the Alligator Rivers Region and in particular
the Magela Creek Catchment & floodplain area,
there has been a lack of geometric control for
high resolution satellite data.

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 ALOS AVNIR-2 2006 ALOS AVNIR-2 2007

Jabiru

X = Differentially corrected location

100 Man
Camp

X X

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 Problem statement: Calibration of data to reflectance
values
■ How do we correct raw image data to reflectance values
(removal of atmospheric effects)? Why do we need to do
this?
Atmospheric refraction

After Jensen, 2000

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 Atmospheric Scattering

Type of scattering is a function of:

1)Wavelength of the incident

radiation

2) Size of the gas molecule, dust

particle &/or water vapour

After Jensen, 2000

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 Conversion Raw Data Æ Radiance Data Æ Reflectance
Data

■ Raw DNs: surface reflectance, solar irradiance curve,

atmospheric effects, variation in illumination resulting
from topographic effects, instrument response.
■ Raw Data Æ Radiance Data removes instrument effects

■ Radiance Æ Reflectance
L0(λ)=Lsun(λ) T(λ) R(λ) cos(θ) + Lpath(λ)
– L0(λ) = observed radiance at sensor
– Lsun(λ) = Solar irradiance above atmosphere
– T(λ) = total atmospheric transmittance
– R(λ) = surface reflectance Note:
– θ = incidence angle Reflectance data scaled to get to
– Lpath(λ) = path scattered radiance integer data (typically x 10,000)

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 Why calibrate and correct data?
■ To compare multi-date images – some data sets even
have different atmospheric properties across a scene

■ To compare data sets from different sensors

■ Needed for quantitative analysis, e.g., working with field

data

■ When using band ratios such as EVI, NDVI, MNDWI

■ Reflectance data needed to compare data spectra with

library reflectance spectra – helps in identifying materials
based on their absorption features
■ To use spectral library to map materials, image must
be in reflectance.

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 Method Question:
■ How do we undertake a systematic remote
sensing capture?
– Logistics
– What data do we acquire (format, bands etc)
– Resources

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 WorldView-2

■ Launch date: 08 October 2009

– Estimated mission life is 7.25 years
– Operating at full capability on 4 January 2010

■ Part of the DigitalGlobe constellation

– WorldView 1 and QuickBird

■ Altitude: 770 kms

■ Revisit capability
– 1.1 days at 1m GSD or less
– 3.7 days at 20° off-nadir or less (52 cm GSD)
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The 8 Spectral Bands of WorldView-2
4 New Spectral Bands Pan
Coastal
Coastal Band (400 – 450nm) - Blue
can be used in vegetation Green
identification & analysis Yellow
(chlorophyll characteristics) Red
Red Edge
Yellow Band (585 – 625nm) - NIR1
identify “yellow-ness” NIR2
characteristics of targets, 350 450 550 650 750 850 950 1050
Important for vegetation
Wavelength (nm)
applications
Sensor Resolution (GSD)
Red Edge Band (705 – 745nm) -
analysis of vegetation condition. Directly Panchromatic: 0.46 meters GSD at nadir
0.52 meters GSD at 20° off-nadir
related to plant health via chlorophyll
Multispectral: 1.84 meters GSD at nadir
production. 2.08 meters GSD at 20° off-nadir
(note that imagery must be re-sampled to 0.5
NIR2 (860 – 1040nm) - overlaps NIR1 m (Pan) and 2m (mulit) for non-US Government customers)
band but less affected by atmospheric
influence. Used for vegetation analysis &
Swadth Width:
biomass studies.
16.4 kms at nadir
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 Scheduling a Capture
■ How do we undertake a systematic remote
sensing capture?
– Specifications
– Costs
– Logistics

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 Setting up a back up base station

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 Ground Control Targets

• 27 3.5 x 3.5 m square silver–coloured

tarpaulins positioned on the ground prior to
the image acquisition window

• 6 image objects (features such as cross

roads evident in previous image data)

• Centre of each of the tarpaulins and

image objects were measured with a GPS
& differentially corrected to within 12 mm
x,y accuracy.
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 Field Data: Panorama using MS-ICE &
Photosynth

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Field Data: Google Earth

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 Radiometric Calibration Targets & Recording
Atmospheric Conditions

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 Radiometric Calibration Targets

Black synthetic upholstery

Silver plastic weave tarpaulin

White plastic weave tarpaulin

Tyvec
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 Pseudo-invariant Features: Golf Green

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 Results: Geometric Correction

Root Mean Square Error for the WV-2 Multispectral band

Eriss = orthorecitification GCPs & RPC file DEM

DigitalGlobe = Standard map ready product

ERISS DigitalGlobe
Site Standard
Multispectral Multispectral
25 2.6 4.6

31 0.4 3.9

32 3.2 6.4

100 ManCamp 2.0 3.8

ENRAD Bld 0.5 6.4

Bush humpy 2.2 8.8

Mean RMSE 1.8 5.6

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 Results: Geometric Correction

Root Mean Square Error for the WV-2 Panchromatic band

Eriss = orthorecitification GCPs & RPC file DEM

DigitalGlobe = Standard map ready product

ERISS DigitalGlobe
Site
Panchromatic Panchromatic

25 2.1 6.0
26 0.8 7.2
31 1.1 6.1
32 2.7 6.3
100 ManCamp 0.4 4.3
Westcott Bld 2.6 6.5
ENRAD Bld 0.4 4.4
Bush humpy 1.4 8.8
Mean RMSE 1.4 6.2

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Results: Conversion to Reflectance

■ Conversion to reflectance methods

1) Scene derived (statistics): eg. Internal Average

Relative Reflectance (IAR)

2) Ground calibration methods

Empirical Line Regression

3) Radiative Transfer Models: eg FLAASH

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Results: Conversion to Reflectance

Native Grass

A total of nine field targets were used to derive the calibration

model, resulting in a strong linear relationship (r2 = 0.99) for
all 8 multispectral bands.

Accuracy assessment of the calibration model was undertaken

by comparing the image reflectance values against the
surface reflectance values of 17 validation field targets.
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 Some issues:
• Majority (95%) of the areas of the three requested
scenes were captured with the specified scene
parameters (nadir angle of 13.8º and total cloud cover
<2%) on 11 May.

• The remaining five percent of one of the scenes was

captured on 22 May (nadir angle of 11.6º). All 27
ground control tarpaulins were visible in the imagery.

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