Accuracy assessment of vegetation community maps generated by aerial photography interpretation: perspective from the tropical savanna, Australia

Donna L. Lewis; Stuart R. Phinn

doi:10.1117/1.3662885

1 January 2011 Accuracy assessment of vegetation community maps generated by aerial photography interpretation: perspective from the tropical savanna, Australia

Donna L. Lewis, Stuart R. Phinn

Author Affiliations +

Journal of Applied Remote Sensing, Vol. 5, Issue 1, 053565 (January 2011). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.3662885

Abstract

Aerial photography interpretation is the most common mapping technique in the world. However, unlike an algorithm-based classification of satellite imagery, accuracy of aerial photography interpretation generated maps is rarely assessed. Vegetation communities covering an area of 530 km² on Bullo River Station, Northern Territory, Australia, were mapped using an interpretation of 1:50,000 color aerial photography. Manual stereoscopic line-work was delineated at 1:10,000 and thematic maps generated at 1:25,000 and 1:100,000. Multivariate and intuitive analysis techniques were employed to identify 22 vegetation communities within the study area. The accuracy assessment was based on 50% of a field dataset collected over a 4 year period (2006 to 2009) and the remaining 50% of sites were used for map attribution. The overall accuracy and Kappa coefficient for both thematic maps was 66.67% and 0.63, respectively, calculated from standard error matrices. Our findings highlight the need for appropriate scales of mapping and accuracy assessment of aerial photography interpretation generated vegetation community maps.

©(2011) Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)

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Donna L. Lewis and Stuart R. Phinn "Accuracy assessment of vegetation community maps generated by aerial photography interpretation: perspective from the tropical savanna, Australia," Journal of Applied Remote Sensing 5(1), 053565 (1 January 2011). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.3662885

Published: 1 January 2011

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