Ground‐Water Exploration Based on Lineament Analysis and Reproducibility Tests

Abstract

AbstractLineaments derived from remote sensing data are analyzed with respect to ground‐water exploration in the Voltaian Basin of central Ghana. The lineament data were collected using both Landsat TM and SPOT imagery, multiple interpreters, and multiple trials. Three types of reproducibility tests are analyzed: (1) azimuth‐length comparisons, disregarding location; (2) lineament coincidence using a raster‐based comparison method; and (3) feature agreement using a rule‐based approach. The reproducibility tests show that there are clear differences in length and location of individual line segments between interpreters, but that a large proportion of the inferred structural features are detected by all interpreters. Fifty percent of the features on both imagery types are detected by any two interpreters and 40 percent by all interpreters. Lineaments classed as more hydrologically significant show a reproducibility of up to 90 percent between interpreters and justify the use of classifiers in lineament mapping. The application of the feature agreement approach, including classification by hydrological significance, shows the greatest promise for targeting successful well sites.