Application of Landsat imagery for landscape-scale change detection and trend analysis in the Northern Colorado Plateau Network: narrative and standard operating procedures, version 1.0
Thoma D. 2016. Application of Landsat imagery for landscape-scale change detection and trend analysis in the Northern Colorado Plateau Network: narrative and standard operating procedures, version 1.0. Natural Resource Report. NPS/NCPN/NRR—2016/1216. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
Landsat-based detection of Trends in Disturbance and Recovery (LandTrendr) and TimeSync are a set of tools that extract spectral trajectories of land-surface change from yearly Landsat time-series image stacks (LTS). Developed by Oregon State University (OSU) and the Pacific Northwest Research Station, LandTrendr identifies important features in time-series signatures by minimizing the influence of noise caused by changes in illumination, phenology, atmosphere, and geometric registration (Kennedy et al. 2010). Temporal trends in reflectance are evaluated on a pixel-by-pixel basis by regression-based and point-to-point fitting. LandTrendr is accompanied by TimeSync to help interpret temporal patterns in reflectance by allowing analysts to visually compare segmentation and fitted functions with yearly spectral values (Cohen et al. 2010). The combination of algorithms embodied in LandTrendr and TimeSync enable quantitative description of change at pixel and landscape scales. Specifically, these tools allow the Northern Colorado Plateau Network (NCPN) to determine the start, end, duration, and rate of disturbance, as well as the magnitude of disturbance and recovery. The evolution of project work leading to implementation of LandTrendr and TimeSync in NCPN applications informs the appropriate application of these tools and the kind of interpretation that can be made.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Thoma, David
- Date of Issue
- 2016-05
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- ARCH , BLCA , BRCA , CANY , CARE , CEBR , COLM , CURE , DINO , FOBU , GOSP , HOVE , NABR , NCPN , NRSS , PISP , TICA , ZION
- Keywords
- Landsat, LandTrendr, NCPN monitoring protocol, remote sensing
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Landscapes | Landscape Dynamics | Land Cover and Use