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Mapping of submerged aquatic vegetation in rivers from very high-resolution image data, using object-based image analysis combined with expert knowledge

  • PLANTS IN AQUATIC SYSTEMS
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Abstract

The use of remote sensing for monitoring of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) in fluvial environments has been limited by the spatial and spectral resolution of available image data. The absorption of light in water also complicates the use of common image analysis methods. This paper presents the results of a study that uses very high-resolution image data, collected with a Near Infrared sensitive DSLR camera, to map the distribution of SAV species for three sites along the Desselse Nete, a lowland river in Flanders, Belgium. Plant species, including Ranunculus peltatus, Callitriche obtusangula, Potamogeton natans L., Sparganium emersum R. and Potamogeton crispus L., were classified from the data using object-based image analysis and expert knowledge. A classification rule set based on a combination of both spectral and structural image variation (e.g. texture and shape) was developed for images from two sites. A comparison of the classifications with manually delineated ground truth maps resulted for both sites in 61% overall accuracy. Application of the rule set to a third validation image resulted in 53% overall accuracy. These consistent results not only show promise for species-level mapping in such biodiverse environments but also prompt a discussion on assessment of classification accuracy.

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Acknowledgements

Funding for this project was provided by the FWO (Fund for Scientific Research)—Flanders (Belgium)—(G.0290.10) via the multidisciplinary research project ‘Linking optical imaging techniques and 2D-modelling for studying spatial heterogeneity in vegetated streams and rivers’ (Antwerp University, Ghent University, 2010–2013) and the FWO Scientific Research Community ‘Functioning of river ecosystems by plant–flow–sediment interactions’. V.V. thanks the Institute for the Promotion of Innovation through Science and Technology in Flanders (IWT-Vlaanderen) for personal research funding. J.S. is a postdoctoral fellow of FWO (Project No. 12H8616 N).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Science and the Environment, University of Worcester, Henwick Grove, Worcester, WR2 6AJ, UK

    Fleur Visser

  2. Department of Biology, Ecosystem Management Research Group, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1C, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium

    Kerst Buis, Veerle Verschoren & Jonas Schoelynck

Authors
  1. Fleur Visser
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  2. Kerst Buis
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  3. Veerle Verschoren
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  4. Jonas Schoelynck
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Correspondence to Fleur Visser.

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Guest editors: M. T. O’Hare, F. C. Aguiar, E. S. Bakker & K. A. Wood / Plants in Aquatic Systems – a 21st Century Perspective

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Visser, F., Buis, K., Verschoren, V. et al. Mapping of submerged aquatic vegetation in rivers from very high-resolution image data, using object-based image analysis combined with expert knowledge. Hydrobiologia 812, 157–175 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-016-2928-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-016-2928-y

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