Vegetation Measurements From Digital Astronaut Photography
Stefanov WL, et al. (2003). "Vegetation Measurements From Digital Astronaut Photography." Remote Sensing of Urban Areas
Astronaut photography of cities collected during Apollo, Skylab, Shuttle, Mir, and International Space Station missions provides a useful dataset for urban analysis that complements the satellite data archive. Recent astronaut photography acquired with digital cameras is now approaching the ground resolutions of commercial satellites such as IKONOS (i.e. less than 6 m/pixel). Astronaut photographs are a relevant source of data for urban analyses, particularly for studies that do not have the resources to purchase commercial-quality data. The CCD image sensors in the cameras currently used for astronaut photography are sensitive to the infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, but infrared signal is filtered out above 700 μm. As such, the digital camera data contain less information on actively synthesizing vegetation than they would with an infrared signal included. We present an analysis of aboveground biomass (i.e. actively photosynthesizing vegetation) derived from astronaut photography of the Paris, France metropolitan area acquired on April 24, 2002 using a Kodak DCS 760C electronic still camera aboard the International Space Station. The accuracy of biomass estimation obtained from the digital camera data is demonstrated by comparison with Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer visible to near infrared data for Paris acquired on April 8, 2002. Correlations of bands between the two instruments allow interpretation of the identified vegetation and soil classes. Collection of astronaut photography over global urban centers is ongoing and planned for future orbital missions, and will be a useful addition to ongoing studies of urban ecosystem change, sustainability, and resilience.
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Accession Number: LTER.2003-93099