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- 1547 = 
RADAR LAND USE MAPPING CAPABILITY 
AS A FUNCTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL MODULATION 
Floyd M. Henderson 
Department of Geography 
State University of New York at Albany 
Albany, New York 12222 
Introduction 
Land use and land cover inventories are assuming increasingly 
prominent roles in geographic information systems, planning programs, 
and natural resource/environmental management and conservation efforts. 
Concomitantly, the necessity of creating a reliable data base from 
which existing land use records can be updated and changes monitored 
is an accepted fact. Among the tools and techniques being developed to 
supply such data remote sensing systems have received much attention. 
Black and white, color, and color infrared photography have repeatedly 
demonstrated their value. More recently, reports have demonstrated the 
utility of Landsat imagery in analog as well as digital format for 
studying myriad environmental phenomena. Another sensing system 
deserving attention, particularly with the launch of Seasat-A and future 
satellites, is radar imagery. 
The advantages of radar imagery as they relate to land use mapping 
are generally well-known to the remote sensing community, i.e., scale, 
weather independence, day or night imaging capacity, and generation of 
a synoptic view. Extensive, often unaccessible areas can be imaged 
quickly on a small quantity of film. Many environmental signatures not 
"visible" in other portions of the electromagnetic spectrum are manifest 
on radar imagery and subject to examination. Of undeniable value as a 
single sensor, radar derived information is also integral to the develop- 
ment of multi-sensor packages. 
Previous reports investigating the land use mapping potential and 
limitations of radar imagery have addressed the detectability of various 
landscape components and levels of detail. For example, Nunnally (1969) 
created integrated landscapes similar to photomorphic regions using a 
small area in North Carolina. Henderson (1975) attempted to define 
thematic land use regions over an extensive traverse of the central and 
western United States. Subsequent research proved that interpreters 
could not consistently derive comparable regions using only a qualita- 
tive interpretation key (Henderson, 1977). Bryan (1974), Lewis, et. al. 
(1969), and Sabol (1969) among others have examined the visibility of 
cultural features, particularly urban land use components. Aside from 
the work of Henderson such investigations have focussed primarily on 
specific detailed land use features (e.g., bridges, trailer courts) or 
areally small study sites. However, to properly assess the overall 
capability of any sensor a number of environments should be examined 
to discern what level of detail can be consistently identified.