Citation:

Lunetta, R S., J G. Lyon, L D. Worthy, AND R. Alvarez. NALC/MEXICO LAND-COVER MAPPING RESULTS: IMPLICATIONS FOR ASSESSING LANDSCAPE CHANGE. Presented at Monitoring Science and Technology Symposium, Denver, CO, September 20-24, 2004.

Impact/Purpose:

Our research objectives are to: (a) develop new methods using satellite remote sensor data for the rapid characterization of LC condition and change at regional to national scales; (b) evaluate the utility of the new NASA-EOS MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer) leaf area index (LAI) measurements for regional scale application with landscape process models (e.g., biogenic emissions and atmospheric deposition); (c) provide remote sensor derived measurement data to advance the development of the next generation of distributed landscape process-based models to provide a predictive modeling capability for important ecosystem processes (e.g., nutrients, sedimentation, pathogens, etc.); and (d) integrate in situ monitoring measurement networks with UAV and satellite based remote sensor data to provide a continuous environmental monitoring capability.

Description:

An inventory of land-cover conditions throughout Mexico was performed using North American Landscape Characterization (NALC) Landsat Multi-Spectral Scanner (MSS) 'triplicate' images, corresponding to the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s epoch periods. The equivalent of 300 image scenes were analyzed using an unsupervised classification approach by a consortium of 13 universities and institutes across Mexico. Accuracy assessments were conducted to validate the 1970s and 1990s results using independent land-cover classifications (reference data) developed from the intrpretation of 1:100,000-scale aerial photography collected in 1973, and landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) imagery collected between 1990-1993. The 1980s epoch classifications were compared to both reference data sets, collectively. The relative accuracy of the classifications results were 60% for both the 1970s and 1990s epoch and 67% for the 1980s epoch. The significantly (p = 0.05) higher accuracy for 1980s epoch (67%) was thought to be an aberration resulting from the combined application of two reference data sets, resulting in a random compensation of reference data error.

Significantly different (p = 0.05) results were documented for a subset of Mexico's major habitat region. Desert and xeric shrublands were most accurate {74%), followed by conifer and xeric dominated habitats (64%), and other mixed habitats (54%). Scenes representing the highest accuracies (IS percentile) almost exclusively represented desert and xeric shrub habitat regions, and the lowest (17 percentile) represented predominantly mixed habitat regions. Significant difference among the 13 member consortium universities and institutes were attributed to habitat region assignments. Results indicated that large area spectral based land-cover categorizations should be stratified and processed on a habitat or ecoregion basis. Results also suggested that any future land-cover conversion analysis for Mexico would probably best be accomplished using a post-classification approach, based on major habitat regions, rather than on a scene-by-scene or pixel-wise basis.

Record Details: