Land Cover Spurious Change Detection Using a geo-eco Zoning Rule Base1

Abstract

Land cover is a commonly used index for characterizing land surfaces and the corresponding human or natural processes. Remote sensing-based land cover maps of different times can be compared to extract changes in land cover. However, remote sensing images reflect only the instantaneous state of the Earth’s surface. Spectral characteristics cannot correctly reflect the actual state due to the differences caused by seasonal changes, and this inability results in the limited classification accuracy of land cover products. Spurious changes will occur when products of different time phases are compared. A method of spurious change detection based on a geo-eco zoning rule base is proposed in this study to solve this problem. The structure and content of the rule base are designed, and a rule base management system is established to identify spurious changes. Land cover products of Southeast Asia are selected as the experimental area to verify the accuracy of the change patches after eliminating spurious changes. Results show that the accuracy of change detection is improved by using the rule base of geo-eco zoning to identify spurious changes.