57 
Symposium on Remote Sensing for Resources Development and Environmental Management / Enschede / August 1986 
Man-machine interactive classification technique 
for land cover mapping with TM imagery 
Shunji Murai, Ryuji Matsuoka & Kazuyuli Motohashi 
Institute of industrial science, University of Tokyo, Japan 
ABSTRACT: The conventional classification, for example, the maximum likelihood method for land cover 
classification has limitations of lower accuracy because of an assumption of normal distribution for 
respective classes. In order to improve the accuracy of classification, the paper deals with an improved 
classification technique based on man-machine interactive system to enable to consider the actual distribution 
and to enable to interactively study between the imagery, histogram and the existing topo-map using a computer 
system with two color graphic displays and a digitizer. To assist human interpretability, HSI ( Hue, 
Saturation and Intensity ) conversion and/or pricipal components can be applied to the conversation with 
the computer system. The improved technique was tested in the vicinity of Tokyo Area with Themetic Mapper 
data. As compared with the result of the conventional method, the result of the study was much improved. 
The man-machine interactive classification technique developed by the authors can be said " a real time 
and on-line classification ". 
1 THE OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY 
In order to improve the following disadvantages of 
conventional maximum likelihood method; 
* misclassification due to the assumption of normal 
distribution 
* lack of consideration with detail information on 
each pixel in the histogram or each geographic 
position on a map, and 
* lack of adoption of classification order from the 
reliability or separability, 
an interactive man-machine classification technique 
has been developed to enable a real time or on-line 
classification with use of image plane, two dimen 
sional histogram plane and map plane located on a 
digitizer tablet. 
2 MAN-MACHINE CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (MACSYS) 
2.1 Hardware system 
The following units are utilized. 
1) Computer: FACOM M 170 F (8MB memory, 7.6GB Disc) 
2) Color Graphic Display: NEXUS (512x480x27bits) 
3) Digitizer: Oscon graphic digitizer 
The following three planes are registered in order 
to implement the man-machine classification system 
as shown in Figure 1. 
1) Image plane: generated in graphic display with 
a work file 
2) Histogram plane: generated in graphic display 
with a work file 
3) Map plane: generated on tablet digitizer with a 
geometric transform to both of image 
plane and histogram plane 
2.2 Software system 
The following softwares were developed in menu type. 
1) FRQ-IMG: A point or polygon given in a histogram 
plane is tranformed into the image plane 
2) IMG-FRQ: A point or polygon given in an image 
plane is transformed to the histogram 
plane 
3) IMG-IMG: A point or polygon given in an image 
IMAGE PLANE 
FRQ-IMG 
\ 
HISTOGRAM PLANE 
1 
IMG-FRQ 
MAP-IMS \ / 
MAP-FRO 
Figure 1 Man-machine interactive system (MACSYS) 
4) MAP-IMG: 
5) MAP-FRO: 
6) ON IMG: 
7) ON MAP: 
8) CATEGORY: 
9) DISPLAY: 
10) RESET: 
plane is classified in a given color 
code 
A point or polygon given in a map plane 
is classified in a given color code 
A point or polygon given in a map plane 
is tranformed to the histogram plane 
Classified map is edited in an image 
plane 
Classified map is edited in a map plane 
A class to be classified can be given 
A current work file will be displayed 
A work file will be cleared 
Both of image and histogram planes can be zoomed up 
to 4 times and 8 times. The current results of 
classification may be stored in a registered work 
file of image and histogram plane respectively. 
MACSYS also includes a function to detect which 
pixels in an image plane or histogram plane are 
not yet classified.