Lab 8

Goal and Background

The main goal of this lab was for me to gain experience on the measurement and interpretation of spectral reflectance (signatures) of various Earth surface materials captured by satellite images. I learned how to collect spectral signatures from remotely sensed images, graph them, and perform analysis on them to verify whether they would pass a spectral separability test. All analysis performed in Erdas Imagine.

Methods

First, I zoomed in on the provided Landsat ETM+ image of the Eau Claire area. Next, I used the polygon tool to draw within an area of standing water and used the Signature editor tool to examine the polygon's reflectance. In the tool, I created a new signature from the polygon I drew. Then, I examined the mean plot window to view the spectral signature. After taking note of its properties, I continued by drawing polygons on 11 more surfaces: Moving water, Vegetation, Riparian vegetation, Crops, Urban grass, Dry soil (uncultivated), Moist soil (uncultivated), Rock, Asphalt highway, Airport runway and a Concrete surface (Parking lot). I examined the relationships among the signatures, which are provided below.

Results

Spectral signatures of various surfaces

Sources

None