Skip to main content
Home / Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing, Number 10 / October 2009

Open Access Tree Crown Detection on Multispectral VHR Satellite Imagery

Download Article:
A new method called Arbor Crown Enumerator (ACE) was developed for tree crown detection from multispectral Very High-resolution (VHR) satellite imagery. ACE uses a combination of the Red band and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) thresholding, and the Laplacian of the Gauss-ian (LOG) blob detection method. This method minimizes the detection shortcomings of its individual components and provides a more accurate estimation of the number of tree crowns captured in an image sample. The ACE was applied successfully to sample images taken from a four-band QuickBird (0.7m × 0.7m) scene of Keritis watershed, in the Island of Crete. The method performs very well for different tree types, sizes and densities that may include non vegetation features such as roads and houses. Statistical analysis on the tree crown detection results from the sample images supports the agreement between the measurements and the simulations. The new method reduces considerably the effort of manual tree counting and can be used for environmental applications of fruit orchard, plantation and open forest population monitoring.

Document Type: Research Article

Publication date: 01 October 2009

More about this publication?
  • The official journal of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing - the Imaging and Geospatial Information Society (ASPRS). This highly respected publication covers all facets of photogrammetry and remote sensing methods and technologies.

    Founded in 1934, the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) is a scientific association serving over 7,000 professional members around the world. Our mission is to advance knowledge and improve understanding of mapping sciences to promote the responsible applications of photogrammetry, remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), and supporting technologies.
  • Editorial Board
  • Information for Authors
  • Submit a Paper
  • Subscribe to this Title
  • Membership Information
  • Information for Advertisers
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Ingenta Connect is not responsible for the content or availability of external websites

Share Content

  • Access Key
  • Free content
  • Partial Free content
  • New content
  • Open access content
  • Partial Open access content
  • Subscribed content
  • Partial Subscribed content
  • Free trial content