Mapping potential soil salinization using rule based object-oriented image analysis
Date
2007-12
Authors
Stals, Jacobus Petrus
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch
Abstract
Soil salinization is a world wide environmental problem affecting plant growth and
agricultural yields. Remote sensing has been used as a tool to detect and/or manage soil
salinity. Object-oriented image analysis is a relatively new image analysis technique
which allows analysis at different hierarchical scales, the use of relationships between
objects and contextual information in the classification process, and the ability to create a
rule based classification procedure. The Lower Orange River in South Africa is a region
of successful irrigation farming along the river floodplain but also with the potential risk
of soil salinization. This research attempted to detect and map areas of potential high soil
salinity using digital aerial photography and digital elevation models.
Image orthorectification was conducted on the digital aerial photographs. The radiometric
variances between photographs made radiometric calibration of the photographs
necessary. Radiometric calibration on the photographs was conducted using Landsat 7
satellite images as radiometric correction values, and image segmentation as the
correction units for the photographs.
After radiometric calibration, object-oriented analysis could be conducted on one analysis
region and the developed rule bases applied to the other regions without the need for
adjusting parameters. A rule based hierarchical classification was developed to detect
vegetation stress from the photographs as well as salinity potential terrain features from
the digital elevation models. These rule bases were applied to all analysis blocks.
The detected potential high salinity indicators were analyzed spatially with field collected
soil data in order to assess the capability of the classifications to detect actual salinization,
as well as to assess which indicators were the best indicators of salinity potential.
Vegetation stress was not a good indicator of salinity as many other indicators could also
cause vegetation stress. Terrain indicators such as depressions in the landscape at a micro
scale were the best indicators of potential soil salinization.
Description
Thesis (MSc (Geography and Environmental Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007.
Keywords
Dissertations -- Geography and environmental studies, Theses -- Geography and environmental studies, Soil salinization -- South Africa -- Orange River Region, Soil mapping -- South Africa -- Orange River Region, Image analysis, Object-oriented methods (Computer science)