dc.contributor.advisor Bredenkamp, B.
dc.contributor.advisor Katsch, H. C.
dc.contributor.author Vogt, Holger K. H
dc.description Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2000. en_ZA
dc.description.abstract ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of the study was to extract elevation information (such as tree height) from stereo satellite imagery (IRS-I C), to scrutinise the performance of the DTM (Digital Terrain Model) tools as provided by the LH (LeicalHelava) Systems' softcopy system, and subsequently to perform a feasibility study on the application of a practically viable forest inventory design. A softcopy photogrammetry workstation (LH Systems DPW 770), IRS-I C stereo panchromatic satellite imagery, and digital aerial photography at a scale of 1:30000 (scanned at 15 micrometers) was used. The study was conducted over various sites in the Sabie area (province of Mpumalanga) in South Africa, where extensive man made forests with pine and eucalypts are to be found. The extraction of stand parameters such as tree height was performed manually, semi-automatically, and automatically. In addition, the compartment area was determined using a GIS tool. The Digital Surface Models (DSM), representing the canopy structure of the stands, was extracted from the IRS-I C imagery and validated through a comparison of the resulting contours with the corresponding contours generated by aerial photogrammetric methods. Due to the coarse spatial resolution of the IRS-IC imagery (5m) and the suboptimal BIH (BaselHeight) ratio (0.57), only objects featuring a height exceeding 20m could be manually measured with confidence. Furthermore, only the edges of the compartments proved to be suitable for the determination of tree heights (i.e. with a sufficiently large parallax difference and image contrast). The manual determination of tree heights in the IRS-I C imagery yielded accuracies of about 95% compared to the height values of the aerial photographs and the ground data. The application of image enhancement techniques had severe effects on the accuracy of the IRS-IC stereo model, resulting in deviations of about -57m from the 'true' value. It was observed that image matching was only a problem where features changed their appearance (e.g. clearfelled or burnt areas) during the acquisition period of the stereo pair of the satellite imagery. LH Systems' Adaptive Automatic Terrain Extraction (AATE) tool performed very well for the creation of digital terrain and surface models when using digital aerial photography with a high scanning rate. In contrast, the automatic creation of canopy surface models from various forest compartments did not yield any useful results when applied to IRS-l C imagery. AATE could not model the canopy structure properly. The coarse spatial resolution of the satellite imagery in conjunction with the sparse post spacing (20m) and matching errors are most likely to be responsible for this poor performance. Two-phase sampling and the Hugershoff method were chosen for automatically derived height values to be evaluated for possible application in forest inventory. Unfortunately, neither for the determination of the regression estimator for the first method, nor for the calculation of timber volume after application of the Hugershoff method could any useful result be obtained. This is mostly due to the fact that image matching errors and blunders (resulting in tree heights of -885m) were not properly accounted for in the terrain extraction software. However, the outcomes for the manual measurement of tree heights performed on the satellite imagery show that under optimal conditions accuracies can be achieved similar to those for the height determination in small scale aerial photographs, but at lower cost. The obtained height values can then be used for the calculation of timber volume according to Eichhorn's law. Keywords: AATE, blunders, digital photogrammetry, DPW770, forest inventory, Hugershoff IRS-l C, matching error, remote sensing, satellite imagery, two-phase sampling en_ZA
dc.description.abstract AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: N GANGBAARHEIDSTIIDIE VIR BOSINVENTARIS MET BEHULP VAN STEREO SATELLIETBEELDE MET GEBRUIK VAN SAGTEKOPIE FOTOGRAMMETRIESETEGNOLOGIE: Die doel van hierdie studie was om elevasie inligting (soos boomhoogtes) uit stereo satellietbeelde (IRS-I C) te ontrek, en die DTM (Digitale Terrein Modelle) funksies van die LH Systems se sagtekopie sisteem te evalueer en 'n ondersoek in te stel na praktiese toepassing van die tegnologie in bosvoorraadopname. 'n Sagtekopie fotogrammetriese werkstasie (LH Systems DPW 770), IRS-I C stereo panchromatiese satellietwaarneming en digitale lugfotografie is gebruik. Die studie is uitgevoer oor verskeie areas in die Sabie omgewing (Mpumalanga, Suid-Afrika), waar daar ekstensiewe mensgemaakte woude voorkom met denne en Eucalyptus soorte. Die ekstraksie van opstandparameters soos boomhoogte is uitgevoer met die hand, as ook met semi-outomatiese en outomatiese metodes. Die digitale oppervlakmodelle (wat die kroondakstrukture van die opstande voorstel) was vanaf die IRS-I C beelde onttrek en gevalideer deur vergelyking van die resulterende kontoere met die korresponderende kontoere wat deur lugfotogrammetriese metodes gegenereer is. As gevolg van die growwe ruimtelike resolusie van die IRS-IC waarneming (Sm) en die suboptimale BIH verhouding (0.57) kan slegs voorwerpe met 'n hoogte van meer as 20m met vertroue met die hand gemeet word. Slegs die rande van die vakke is bruikbaar vir die berekening van boomhoogtes (d.w. s. met 'n voldoende paralaksverskil en 'n sterk beeldkontras ). Boomhoogtes wat met die hand bepaal is vanaf IRS-I C beelde is 95% akkuraat in vergelyking met die hoogtewaardes verkry vanaf die lugfoto's en die veldmetings. Die toepassing van beeldverbeteringstegnieke het duidelike invloede op die akkuraatheid van die IRS-IC stereomodel met afwykings van ongeveer -57m vanaf die "werklike" waardes. Daar is ook waargeneem dat beeldooreenstemming slegs 'n probleem is waar terreinvorme se voorkoms verander het (weens afkappings of brande) gedurende die verkrygingsperiode waarin die stereo paar van die satellietbeelde verkry is. LH Systems se Aanpassende Outomatiese Terrein Onttrekkings (Adaptive Automatic Terrain Extraction - AATE) instrument het goed gevaar tydens die gebruik van digitale lugfotografie met Inhoë skanderingstempo. In kontras hiermee het die outomatiese skepping van kroondakoppervlakmodelle van verskeie plantasievakke geen nuttige resultate gelewer wanneer dit op IRS-I C beelde toegepas is nie. Die growwe ruimtelike resolusie van die satellietbeelde tesame met die wye paalspasïering (20m) en passingsfoute is waarskynlik vir hierdie swak resultate verantwoordelik. Twee-fase proefueming en die Hugershoff metode was gebruik vir die bepaling van outomaties afgeleide hoogtewaardes vir evaluering van moonlike toepassing in bosvoorraadopnames. Geen bruikbare resultate kon verkry word vir die vasstelling van die regressieskatter vir die eersgenoemde metode of vir die berekening van die houtvolume volgens die Hugershoff metode nie. Dit is meestal as gevolg van beeld-- ooreenkomsfoute en flaters, (wat tot boomhoogtes van -885m gelei het) wat nie voldoende in ag geneem word in die terreinekstraksie sagteware nie. Die resultate vir die handgemete ('manual') boomhoogtebepaling wat uitgevoer is op die satellietbeelde (op die sagtekopie werkstasie DPW 770), toon dat akkuraathede soortgelyk aan daardie vir hoogte bepaal op klein-skaal lugfotos onder optimale toestande verkry kan word, maar goedkoper. Die hoogtewaardes wat verkry is kan gebruik word vir die berekening van houtvolume volgens die wet van Eichhorn. Sleutelwoorde: AATE, afstandswaarneming, bosvoorraadopnames, digitale fotogrammetrie, DPW770, flaters, Hugershoff, IRS-! C, satellietbeelde, twee-fase proefueming af_ZA
dc.format.extent 267 p. : ill.
dc.subject Artificial satellites in forestry -- South Africa en_ZA
dc.subject Forest surveys -- South Africa en_ZA
dc.subject Forest reserves -- South Africa en_ZA
dc.title An investigation into the feasibility of forest inventory by means of stereo satellite imagery employing digital photogrammetry technology en_ZA