International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Vol. 32, Part 7-4-3 W6, Valladolid, Spain, 3-4 June, 1999 
meadow meadow to farmland 
farmland Ä; farmland to meadow 
Fig. 5. Change detection analysis from 1991 to 1995. 
but differ thematically, e.g., if we use a unimodal forest 
training boundary with a new scene and we find at the same 
area meadowland also with a unimodal behaviour. To 
exclude such errors, after a change detection analysis we 
detect the training areas with changes and eliminate them 
from the database. Of particular importance is a large size for 
each training area. If an automated inside buffering reduces a 
training area to a size that is no longer useable, this area has 
to be eliminated. The size of the training set for each class in 
the classification should be at least 30 times the number of 
discriminating variables (e.g., bands) in the analysis (Swain 
and Davis, 1978). 
The next step is a classification strategy adjusted especially 
for monitoring analysis. We use common robust 
classification algorithms (e.g. Maximum Likelihood) in a 
knowledge-based hierarchical process to discriminate 
between the major landcover types (Rhein and Ehlers, 1996). 
After the first classification pass (after the first date), the 
results can be used to generate new training sets to be stored 
in our information database. 
Improvement of accuracy is the ultimate goal, which we try 
to reach through our methods. To measure the accuracy, we 
not only use standard accuracy assessment methods (e.g., 
contingency matrices). Use is also made of per-pixel values 
of the Mahalanobis distance corresponding to the highest 
membership. This technique is mentioned also at D’ Urso 
and Menenti, 1996. Overlay and mask techniques, as well as 
GIS database queries, make it possible to eliminate those 
pixels whose confidence level is lower than a predefined one. 
5.2. First Results 
Using the above techniques, a first test of our method was 
carried out to analyse changes in agriculture areas. Figure 5 
shows the change detection analysis within a farmland area. 
Changes have occurred from meadowland to farmland and 
vice versa from the year 1991 to 1995. 
6. CONCLUSIONS 
First steps of an automated approach for training data 
selection within an integrated GIS and remote sensing 
environment for monitoring temporal changes are presented. 
The future activities will focus on the integration and 
automation of the classification strategies. An extension to 
multimodal classes, like urban areas, will be aimed at. 
Beyond this, a more formal statistical and quantitative 
approach concerning training classes has to be addressed. 
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