Versicherung ................................................... iv
Declaration .................................................... iv
Abstract ........................................................ v
Zusammenfassung ............................................... vii
Acknowledgments ................................................ ix
Table of Contents .............................................. 11
List of Figures ................................................ 15
List of Tables ................................................. 21
Chapter 1. Introduction ........................................ 25
1.1 Importance of Forest Environments ......................... 26
1.2 Remote Sensing applied to Forest Monitoring ............... 29
1.3 Motivations ............................................... 30
1.4 Research Questions ........................................ 31
1.5 Thesis Outline ............................................ 32
1.6 References ................................................ 33
Chapter 2. Spectral Variability and Discrimination
Assessment in a Tropical Peat Swamp Landscape using
CHRIS/PROBA data ............................................... 35
2.1 Introduction .............................................. 36
2.2 Study Area Description .................................... 37
2.3 Methods ................................................... 39
2.3.1 Image acquisition and pre-processing ............... 39
3.3.1 Data Analysis ...................................... 42
3.4 Results and Discussion .................................... 45
3.4.1 Angular Sensitivity of Peatland Classes ............ 45
3.4.2 View-Angle Effects on the Discrimination
Performance ........................................ 52
2.5 Conclusive Remarks ........................................ 58
2.6 Acknowledgements .......................................... 59
2.7 References ................................................ 59
Chapter 3. Capabilities and Limitations of off-nadir
Hyperspectral Hyperion data on the Biomass Characterization
in a Tropical Secondary Forest Environment in Eastern Amazon
(Brazil) ....................................................... 63
3.1 Introduction .............................................. 64
3.2 Study Area description .................................... 67
3.3 Methods ................................................... 69
3.3.1 Field measurements ................................. 69
3.3.2 Image acquisitions and pre-processing .............. 73
3.3.3 Relating in-situ measurements with Multi- and
Hyperspectral measurements ......................... 77
3.4 Results and Discussion .................................... 82
3.4.1 Angular Sensitivity of Tropical Successional
Forest Stages ...................................... 82
3.4.2 Influence of spectral intervals and anisotropy
indices on the characterization of biophysical
parameters ......................................... 86
3.4.3 Influence of two band ratios on the
characterization of biophysical parameters ......... 91
3.4.4 Influence of vegetation indices on the
characterization of biophysical parameters ......... 93
3.4.5 Support Vector Machine Regression Feature
Selection for the biomass characterization ......... 95
3.4.6 Future perspectives of orbital hyperspectral and
their potential for forest monitoring ............. 100
3.5 Conclusions .............................................. 101
3.6 Acknowledgements ......................................... 102
3.7 Appendix ................................................. 103
3.7.1 Description of Support Vector Regression .......... 103
3.8 References ............................................... 105
Chapter 4. Evaluating Multiple Polarization Modes at L-Band
for Classification Purposes in Eastern Amazon (Brazil) ........ 113
4.1 Introduction ............................................. 114
4.2 Study Area Description ................................... 116
4.3 Methodology .............................................. 119
4.3.1 Data acquisition and pre-processing ............... 119
4.3.2 Polarimetrie Features ............................. 121
4.3.3 Data Analysis ..................................... 121
4.4 Results and Discussion ................................... 125
4.4.1 Spectral and Backscattering Characterization ...... 125
4.4.2 SAR Polarimetrie parameters description ........... 129
4.4.3 Classification Accuracy Assessment ................ 133
4.4.4 Perspectives for Forest Monitoring ................ 141
4.5 Conclusions .............................................. 142
4.6 Acknowledgement .......................................... 143
4.7 References ............................................... 143
Chapter 5. Characterizing Tropical Secondary Forest with
Multifrequency Polarimetrie SAR data in Eastern Amazon
(Brazil) ...................................................... 149
5.1 Introduction ............................................. 150
5.2 Study Area description and Field Inventory ............... 153
5.3 Methodology .............................................. 159
5.3.1 Data acquisition and pre-processing ............... 159
5.3.2 Polarimetrie Features ............................. 161
5.3.3 Data Analysis for the Classification of
Secondary Forest .................................. 163
5.4. Results and Discussion ................................... 168
5.4.1 Spectral and Backscattering Characterization of
Secondary Forest .................................. 168
5.4.2 SAR Polarimetrie parameters description ........... 173
5.4.3 Classification Accuracy Assessment ................ 176
5.4.4 Retrieval of Biophysical Parameters ............... 186
5.4.5 Perspectives for Forest Monitoring with
Multifrequency SAR ................................ 190
5.5 Conclusions .............................................. 191
5.6 Acknowledgement .......................................... 192
5.7 References ............................................... 193
Chapter 6. Summary ............................................ 205
6.1 Thesis Contributions ..................................... 205
6.2 Research Questions Answered .............................. 205
6.2.1 Answered Questions from the Chapter 2 ............. 205
6.2.2 Answered Questions from the Chapter 3 ............. 206
6.2.3 Answered Questions from the Chapter 4 ............. 207
6.2.4 Answered Questions from the Chapter 5 ............. 209
6.3 Conclusion and Recommendations ........................... 210
Appendix 1 - Curriculum Vitae ................................. 213
Appendix 2 - Publication List ................................. 219
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