Patent ID: 8254640

Claim:
A computer system for classifying the ages of trees in an area of interest, comprising: a processor that is configured to execute a series of program instructions to cause the processor to: create a false color composite image by using mid-infrared data from three images for the area of interest that are each taken at different times as RGB color components for the false color composite image; convert the RGB color components of the false color composite image into color space data defining colors in the false color composite image; classify the colors in the false color composite image into a number of color classes; determine if a desired number of color classes are present for the areas in the false color composite image that represent trees and if not, adding an amount of near infrared data from an image of the area of interest to an RGB color component for the false color composite image to increase the number of color classes; and assign an age to the color classes to produce an image of tree ages within the area of interest.