Publications

Chuvieco, E, Ventura, G, Martin, MP, Gomez, I (2005). Assessment of multitemporal compositing techniques of MODIS and AVHRR images for burned land mapping. REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENT, 94(4), 450-462.

Abstract
The performance of several criteria to generate multitemporal composites of daily Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) and Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) images for burned land mapping was tested using data acquired over the Iberian Peninsula in 2001, 2003 and 2004. The experiment was based on four tests that assessed the discriminability between burned and unburned areas, the presence of artifacts (clouds and clouds shadows), the verticality of the sensor viewing angle, and the spatial coherency of the composite images. Seven different compositing techniques were tested, based on maximizing normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and brightness/surface temperature, and minimizing reflectance and sensor zenith angles. The composite criterions that provide the most accurate images for burned land mapping were based on maximizing brightness/surface temperatures, either as the only criterion or in conjunction with minimizing sensor zenith angle or near infrared (NIR) reflectance. These composites present high discrimination capacity between burned and unburned areas, remove most clouds and cloud shadows, offer high spatial coherency and present middle-to-low sensor zenith angles. Traditional compositing criterion based on maximizing NDVI values provided poor results in most tests. Finally, standard NASA MODIS composite provides close to nadir observation angles, and good spatial coherency, but it offered lower discrimination between burned and unburned areas that those composites based on thermal data. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DOI:
10.1016/j.rse.2004.11.006

ISSN:
0034-4257