Full text: Remote sensing for resources development and environmental management (Volume 1)

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SPATIAL REFERENCE UNIT J 
SPATIAL REFERENCE UNIT J+1 
Figure 2. Simplified scheme of the approaches in geosciences (horizontal structure) and in ecosystems research 
(vertical structure). Compiled from various sources. Explanation see text. 
intradisciplinary interest but also of 
unquestionable practical value. 
In the classic geoscientific way of thinking 
in the "horizontal structure" (see Figure 
2), out of the horizontally, mainly con 
tinuously varying study objects, 
quasi-homogeneous units are distinguished in 
a typological manner. The type-limitation 
of these units, which is in part based on 
the processes occuring inside them, can be 
relativated with regard to the respective 
problem, and usually have a very strong 
relation to theory. Nevertheless, they also 
ought to be examinable empirically. The 
spatial delineation is mostly problematic 
and, moreover, subject to geometric 
inaccuracies in mapping and to cartographic 
generalization. Conclusivly, these units do 
not have the same empiric evidence and are 
by far not as clearly defined as the common 
categories of "ground truth" for the 
classification of the earth's surface. 
Using operational methods of remote sensing, 
some selective aspects of the sensor-exposed 
geo-components are also described on the 
basis of physical theories on elec 
tro-magnetic waves and can be combined to 
classes. Taking this information , we can 
e.g. make statements on the water and 
pigment contents of plants, or the water 
content, the texture, and the percentage of 
organic matter and ironoxyde in soils. 
Therefore it is at hand, to put the spatial 
patterns in relation in order to widen the 
horizon of information in a very general way 
and, if possible, to increase the certainty 
of the above mentioned indirect deduction. 
It will not be possible to substitute one 
method by the other; but it seems that for 
some questions they can complement each 
other quite well. 
The present paper mainly discusses the 
automatic classification of remote sensing 
data according to categories of thematic 
maps. Results of visual interpretations are 
to a great deal determinate by the level of 
field knowledge of the interpreter. If the 
latter is reasonably high, there is 
principally no argument against. For the 
clearing of the above mentioned questions, 
however, the visual interpretation is 
completely unsuitable, as in particular this 
"pre-comprehension" - the "theoretical back 
ground" - which to a great deal contributes 
to the geoscientific typification, and so 
has to be subject of the investigation. It 
is easier to estimate the influence of 
insufficiency of the computer-assisted 
classification than the amount of 
subjectivity of field expertise. The latter 
is only taken into account for the 
classification process if - like with the 
catena principle (Opp 1984) by means of the 
digital terrain model - it is formally 
describable. 
3 GENERATION OF REGISTERED DATA SETS 
Within the scope of the Austrian Unesco 
Program "Man and the Biosphere (MaB)" 
various available data have been transformed 
into a unique reference system, using the 
software available at the Institute for 
Image Processing and Computer Graphics in 
Graz. This made it possible to compare the 
different information contents of the 
individual data sets in a raster on a pixel 
by pixel basis. 
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