ALPMON FINAL REPORT - ARC systems research

Contract ENV4-CT96-0359 ALPMON
It has to be stressed that the classification results only had a little role to play in the tourism application
study. Here the fusion image (Landsat 5 TM + KVR-1000) has been very important. This fusion image
could be replaced by a mosaic of aerial photographs. Table 19 shows the comparison of image fusion
and aerial photo mosaicking.
Table 19: Cost estimation - Image fusion (for an area of approx. 460 km 2 ).
Aerial photo mosaic person hours EURO
Flight costs - 25.000,00
Ortho- rectification 160 5.000,00
Mosaicking 160 5.000,00
Total 30.000,00
Costs per km 2
65,22
Fusion image person hours EURO
Satellite image (Landsat 5 TM, KVR-1000) - 5.000,00
Geocoding 56 1.750,00
Atmospheric correction 64 2.000,00
Fusion 64 2.000,00
Total 10.750,00
Costs per km 2
23,37
3.1.3 Scientific Added Value
One prerequisite of the project was to use already operational methods and algorithms as far as they
are applicable and sufficient for the ALPMON feasibility studies. This decision was taken due to the
aim of the project that the methods and algorithms finally should be easily applicable by the customers
themselves without need of special software and training apart from common commercial software
products. Therefore, for data pre-processing and classification the project mainly concentrated on the
investigation and application of common algorithms. Nevertheless, it was necessary to develop some
algorithms which were not available yet, but needed for the realisation of the alpine applications.
From the producers point of view the scientific added value of the ALPMON investigations is connected
first to the recognition of some specific problems still not solved satisfyingly and second on the
evaluation of new software packages which promise to be able to solve some of the recognised
problems in the near future:
1. Unsolved problems
� The limits of conventional image processing systems for analysing the spectral feature space
statistically in case of high resolution data sets of the meter range.
� The estimation of grid size upper limits for a statistically correct calculation of water run off with
ASGI. The evaluations performed in the frame of the ALPMON investigation gave only a rough
approximation.
� The documentation of inaccuracies in administrative data layers e.g. of the “ATKIS Vorstufe”,
the forest management maps, the geologic maps, etc.
� The lack of high resolution, high accuracy DEM as required for high geometric resolution data
of the new generation EO systems like Space Image Carterra´s IKONOS.
2. Upcoming software and need for further research
� In case of radiometric correction the combined topographic/atmospheric normalisation with
ATCOR 3 seems to work successfully. The calculation of radiance per square unit seems to
become possible, despite there are still some limitations basically due to inaccurate estimation
of some parameter like the bi-directionality of backscatter. Further tests have to demonstrate
the potential of this software for radiometric correction of images from alpine regions.
JR, RSDE, ALU, LMU, Seibersdorf, WSL 71