An improved methodology for land-cover classification using artificial neural networks and a decision tree classifier

Mapping is essential for the analysis of the land and land-cover dynamics, which influence many environmental processes and properties. When creating land-cover maps it is important to minimize error, since error will propagate into later analyses based upon these land cover maps. The reliability of land cover maps derived from remotely sensed data depends upon an accurate classification.; For decades, traditional statistical methods have been applied in land-cover classification with varying degrees of accuracy. One of the most significant developments in the field of land-cover classification using remotely sensed data has been the introduction of Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) procedures.; In this research, Artificial Neural Networks were applied to remotely sensed data of the southwestern Ohio region for land-cover classification. Three variants on traditional ANN-based classifiers were explored here: (1) the use of a customized architecture of the neural network in terms of the input layer for each land-cover class, (2) the use of texture analysis to combine spectral information and spatial information which is essential for urban classes, and (3) the use of decision tree (DT) classification to refine the ANN classification and ultimately to achieve a more reliable land-cover thematic map.; The objective of this research was to prove that a classification based on Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) and decision tree (DT) would outperform by far the National Land Cover Data (NLCD). The NLCD is a land-cover classification produced by a cooperative effort between the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). In order to achieve this objective, an accuracy assessment was conducted for both NLCD classification and ANN/DT classification. Error matrices resulting from the accuracy assessments provided overall accuracy, accuracy of each class, omission errors, and commission errors for each classification. The overall accuracy for the ANN/DT classification was 85.13%. This accuracy fulfills the United States Geological Survey standards for Anderson classification (Anderson et al. 1976). The overall accuracy for the NLCD was 67.97%.