3. Examples of olive trees in imagery 
used 
Figures 5 to 10 illustrate some of the conditions 
encountered in the testing carried out with 
Olicount. The typical problems shown 
(shadowing, irregular stands, etc.) still force the 
intervention of an operator for visual checking 
of the count algorithm results. 
4. Trials and operational use 
4.1 The Olistat project 
In mid-1997, the European Commission 
launched a project for the “Estimate of the 
number of olive-trees by Member State" (EC 
1997). The main goal of this project - dubbed 
Olistat - was the production, for the five 
Member States concerned, of national-level 
estimates for the number of olive trees, on the 
? Olistat - Check 
  
{ JIRCCHECK 
  
  
  
of PLACETTES 
L1 
of 1dm204 tif 
  
  
basis of a statistical sample. The data source 
for this operation was aerial photography with 
characteristics as described above (§1.3). 
Semi-automatic counting methods were 
applied in four (out of five) sub-projects, but 
were not imposed as part of technical 
specification. Indeed, for small numbers of 
trees in very mixed environments (a randomly 
located sample plot may fall in very mixed 
zones) manual counting by well-trained 
interpreters can be a fast and efficient method. 
However, GIS management of the entire 
database was stipulated, and  per-tree 
identification required as a part of quality 
assurance procedures. 
Technical management of the Olistat projects 
was conducted by the JRC, as well as a 
number of aspects of quality assurance: these 
included checking of photointerpretation 
results. 
The data set at the end of the project (April 
       
Select IDM | Select image] 
  
Placette Navigation 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Auto Count Edit Accept / Reject 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
# Al 8 
* 
2| * e 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
PLACETTE INFORMATION— 
i | Placette Number 97 
Contractor Count (In/Out): 54 / 86 
Current Check Total: 143 
Of Which: 
Copied from Contractor (In/Out): 
Deleted from Contractor(In/Out): 
Operator Added (In/Out): 0 / 0 
Operator Deleted (In/Out): 0 / 0 
OTCount Added (In/Out): b2 / 91 
OT Count Deleted (In/Out): 0 / 0 
  
  
  
  
Figure 11: The Olistat photointerpretation tool interface 
362 International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Vol. XXXII, Part 7, Budapest, 1998 
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