HR: 0830h
AN: G11A-0243    [PDF]
TI: Detection and Characterization of Rangeland Vegetation Using Airborne Laser Swath Mapping
AU: * Streutker, D R
EM: stredavi@isu.edu
AF: Idaho State University - Boise Center, 12301 W. Explorer Dr. Suite 102, Boise, ID 83713 United States
AU: Glenn, N F
EM: glennanc@isu.edu
AF: Idaho State University - Boise Center, 12301 W. Explorer Dr. Suite 102, Boise, ID 83713 United States
AB: Airborne Laser Swath Mapping (ALSM, also referred to as LiDAR) is used to determine the presence and height of various vegetation types in rangeland areas of southeastern Idaho. Vegetation heights are difficult to determine using established multispectral and hyperspectral methods and are of interest in differentiating between spectrally similar subspecies (i.e. big sagebrush and low sagebrush) and in determining vegetation maturity (and thus history, such as evidence of past burns or other catastrophic events). While ALSM has been shown to be of great use in studying the high-relief canopies of forests, the low canopy heights of grasses and brush encountered in rangeland areas make such vegetation difficult to discern from the bald ground surface. An added obstacle is that the elevation uncertainties of ALSM are often comparable to the rangeland vegetation heights. Techniques used in this investigation to determine vegetation heights include localized point cloud analysis and detrending. Vegetation types are then classified using surface roughness and fractal analysis.
DE: 0400 Biogeosciences
DE: 1294 Instruments and techniques
DE: 1851 Plant ecology
SC: Geodesy [G]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting