SYNOPRA

SYNOPRA

Funding agency: Belgian Federal Science Policy (BELSPO), within the Support Programme for the Use of ORFEO Data (Optical and Radar Federated Earth Observation)

Research associate: Jan Peters

Promoters: Robert De Wulf, Frieke Vancoillie

Duration: 03/2006 – 06/2009

Project objectives

Based on simulated data, this project aims at developing new image analysis techniques to prepare and promote the applicability of the ORFEO imagery for mapping and inventory of olive trees.

The two main research objectives are:

1. Mapping: design of an object-oriented classification routine to map olive groves;
2. Inventory: assessment of the added value of radar data in the estimation of four forest biometric variables: stand density, crown size, and canopy closure.

The project determines whether newly developed techniques, which eventually might lead to operational procedures, may replace established olive mapping and inventory processes. Consequently, decisive answers are formulated on how the new ORFEO sensor data may contribute to the use of remote sensing technology in tree related local and regional decision making.

Key publication

Peters, J., Vancoillie, F., Westra, T., De Wulf, R.“Synergy of Very High Resolution Optical and Radar Data for Object Based Olive Grove Mapping.” INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SCIENCE 25.6 (2011): 971–989.