Classification techniques for hyperspectral remote sensing image data

Abstract

Hyperspectral remote sensing image data, such as that recorded by AVIRIS with 224 spectral bands, provides rich information on ground cover types. However, it presents new problems in machine assisted interpretation, mainly in long processing times and the difficulties of class training due to the low ratio of number of training samples to the number of bands. This thesis investigates feasible and efficient feature reduction and image classification techniques which are appropriate for hyperspectral image data. The study is reported in three parts. The first concerns a deterministic approach for hyperspectral data interpretation. Multigroup and multiple threshold spectral coding procedures, and associated techniques for spectral matching and classification, are proposed and tested. By coding on subgroups of bands using one or three thresholds, spectral searching and matching becomes simple, fast and free of the need for radiometric correction. Modifications of existing statistical techniques are proposed in the second part of the investigation A block-based maximum likelihood classification technique is developed. Several subgroups are formed from the complete set of spectral bands in the data, based on the properties of global correlation among the bands. Subgroups which are poorly correlated with each other are treated independently using conventional maximum likelihood classification. Experimental results demonstrate that, when using appropriate subgroup sizes, the new method provides a compromise among classification accuracy, processing time and available training pixels. Furthermore, a segmented, and possibly multi-layer, principal components transformation is proposed as a possible feature reduction technique prior to classification, and for effective colour display. The transformation is performed efficiently on each of the highly correlated subgroups of bands independently. Selected features from each transformed subgroup can be then transformed again to achieve a satisfactory data reduction ratio and to generate the three most significant components for colour display. Classification accuracy is improved and high quality colour image display is achieved in experiments using two AVIRIS data sets.