Vegetation Mapping Low Lying Islands in the Pacific Using VHR Satellite Images Kataebati Bataua SPC-SOPAC.

Vegetation Mapping Vegetation Mapping Low Lying Islands in the Low Lying Islands in the

PacificPacificUsing VHR Satellite ImagesUsing VHR Satellite Images

Kataebati BatauaKataebati Bataua

SPC-SOPACSPC-SOPAC

Purpose of Vegetation Mapping Purpose of Vegetation Mapping (Land Cover)(Land Cover)

• Picture of available coconut palm Picture of available coconut palm resource (alternative energy, etc.)resource (alternative energy, etc.)

• Food security Food security • Base line of vegetation cover to Base line of vegetation cover to

monitor impact of climate changemonitor impact of climate change

Display GeoEye DataDisplay GeoEye Data

Texture of GeoEye data allows to separate palm and natural forest

Texture of GeoEye data allows to separate palm and natural forest

Texture and PatternTexture and Pattern

Spectral InformationSpectral Information

False Colour InfraredFalse Colour InfraredNatural ColourNatural Colour

Vegetation ClassesVegetation Classes• Coconut palm cover (3 densities !)Coconut palm cover (3 densities !)1.1. Coconut plantationCoconut plantation2.2. Dense coconutDense coconut3.3. Scattered coconutScattered coconut

• ForestForest• MangrovesMangroves• ShrubShrub• Settlement influenced areasSettlement influenced areas• Bare Land (grass, none vegetation)Bare Land (grass, none vegetation)• Water body (on the island)Water body (on the island)

Other Vegetation ClassesOther Vegetation Classes(within Settlement Area)(within Settlement Area)

Not visible on the image dataNot visible on the image data

such as:such as:– BreadfruitBreadfruit– PandanasPandanas– BananasBananas

Field sample plots

required

Field sample plots

required

The GIS Operators in KIThe GIS Operators in KI

• AgricultureAgriculture• EnvironmentEnvironment• Lands DepartmentLands Department

Backup of InformationBackup of InformationSPC-SOPAC Fiji

Agriculture Kiribati

Environment Kiribati

Delineation of Palm DensityDelineation of Palm Density

Selection of PlotsSelection of Plots

Select plots that are covered within the Select plots that are covered within the stratum (like 150 plots that contains with stratum (like 150 plots that contains with the “Y”)the “Y”)

Randomly select only 20 plots.Randomly select only 20 plots.

Counting palms/hectareCounting palms/hectare

•Plots Containing the “Y”

Counting in MapInfo Counting in MapInfo

MapInfo automatically counts the number of MapInfo automatically counts the number of

palms within the plots using SQL select palms within the plots using SQL select

SQL ResultSQL Result

The number of palms is counted through a semi automatic process connecting MapInfo GIS

software with Access Database software

Transfer

MapInfo (GIS) Access Database

Analysis in AccessAnalysis in Access

• SumSum• MinMin• MaxMax• MeanMean• No PlotsNo Plots• Area plotsArea plots• Area StratumArea Stratum• (Pot. No. Plots) (Pot. No. Plots)

Description of StratumDescription of Stratum

• Average number of palms/hectareAverage number of palms/hectare• Variability of the palm densityVariability of the palm density• Exactness of counting Exactness of counting

For 20 plots(randomly) of 50 x 50 metres the coconut palms were counted in the stratum "Scattered Coconut" on the satellite image data. This represents an area of 17,507 m2. This stratum covers 41,423 m2 and theoretically 17 plots could have been analysed instead of 20. The number of palms varies from 12 (min) to 14 (max) which represents 48 or 52 palms/ha with an average of 49 palms/ha with very small standard deviation of +2 palms/ha and a standard error of + 0.6.

Needed for Productivity:Needed for Productivity:

• Number of palms / hectare for dense Number of palms / hectare for dense standsstands

• Age of palmsAge of palms• Amount of hybridsAmount of hybrids• Soil informationSoil information• Transport distanceTransport distance

50 – 100% under estimation50 – 100% under estimation

Results: 25 reports Results: 25 reports are readyare ready

Results in GIS EnvironmentResults in GIS Environmentat SPC-LRDat SPC-LRD

Current Information FlowCurrent Information Flow

SPC-SOPAC

SPC-LRD

Island Country 1. Memory stick2. e-mail

1. Memory stick2. e-mail

External hard driveExternal hard drive

Server

Vegetation MonitoringVegetation Monitoring

??

SPC

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