Hyperspectral and color-infrared imaging from ultralight aircraft: Potential to recognize tree species in urban environments

Abstract

Imaging system based on simultaneous use of Rikola hyperspectral and RGB/NIR cameras installed on a manned ultra-light aircraft is introduced in this study. Simultaneously acquired hyperspectral and color-infrared (CIR) images were tested for their potential to identify deciduous tree species and estimate tree health in Kaunas city, Lithuania. Six urban deciduous tree species were separated using tree crown level statistics, extracted from 16 visible-near infrared spectral band hyperspectral images, and discriminant analyses with an overall classification accuracy of 63.1 %. Classification accuracy increased by 3 percent when hyperspectral images were integrated with simultaneously acquired CIR images. The accuracy in identifying tree health using fused hyperspectral and CIR images, ranged from poor to moderate.