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At least 541 records · Page 30

Off-nadir antenna bias correction using Amazon rain forest sigma deg data

The radar response from the Amazon rain forest was studied to determine the suitability of this region for use as a standard target to calibrate a scatterometer like that proposed for the National Ocean Satellite System (NOSS). Backscattering observations made by the SEASAT-1 scatterometer system show the Amazon rain forest to be a homogeneous, azimuthally-isotropic, radar target which is insensitive to polarization. The variation with angle of incidence may be adequately modeled as sigma deg (dB) = alpha theta + beta with typical values for the incidence-angle coefficient from 0.07 dB deg to 0.15 dB/deg. A small diurnal effect occurs, with measurements at sunrise being 0.5 dB to 1 dB higher than the rest of the day. Maximum likelihood estimation algorithms are presented which permit determination of relative bias and true pointing angle for each beam. Specific implementation of these algorithms for the proposed NOSS scatterometer system is also discussed.

Birrer, I. J.↗

Use of collateral information to improve LANDSAT classification accuracies

Methods to improve LANDSAT classification accuracies were investigated including: (1) the use of prior probabilities in maximum likelihood classification as a methodology to integrate discrete collateral data with continuously measured image density variables; (2) the use of the logit classifier as an alternative to multivariate normal classification that permits mixing both continuous and categorical variables in a single model and fits empirical distributions of observations more closely than the multivariate normal density function; and (3) the use of collateral data in a geographic information system as exercised to model a desired output information layer as a function of input layers of raster format collateral and image data base layers.

Strahler, A. H.↗

Recent developments with the ORSER system

Additions to the ORSER remote sensing data processing package are described. The ORSER package consists of about 35 individual programs that are grouped into preprocessing, data analysis, and display subsystems. Additional data formats and data management, data transformation, and geometric correlation programs were supplemented to the preprocessing subsystem. Enhancements to the data analysis techniques include a maximum likelihood classifier (MAXCLASS) and a new version of the STATS program which makes delineation of training areas easier and allows for detection of outlier points. Ongoing developments are also described.

Baumer, G. M.↗

The evaluation of alternate methodologies for land cover classification in an urbanizing area

The usefulness of LANDSAT in classifying land cover and in identifying and classifying land use change was investigated using an urbanizing area as the study area. The question of what was the best technique for classification was the primary focus of the study. The many computer-assisted techniques available to analyze LANDSAT data were evaluated. Techniques of statistical training (polygons from CRT, unsupervised clustering, polygons from digitizer and binary masks) were tested with minimum distance to the mean, maximum likelihood and canonical analysis with minimum distance to the mean classifiers. The twelve output images were compared to photointerpreted samples, ground verified samples and a current land use data base. Results indicate that for a reconnaissance inventory, the unsupervised training with canonical analysis-minimum distance classifier is the most efficient. If more detailed ground truth and ground verification is available, the polygons from the digitizer training with the canonical analysis minimum distance is more accurate.

Smekofski, R. M.↗

Off-nadir antenna bias correction using Amazon rain sigma(0) data

The radar response from the Amazon rain forest was studied to determine the suitability of this region for use as a standard target to calibrate a scatterometer like that proposed for the National Oceanic Satellite System (NOSS). Backscattering observations made by the SEASAT Scatterometer System (SASS) showed the Amazon rain forest to be a homogeneous, azimuthally-isotropic, radar target which was insensitive to polarization. The variation with angle of incidence was adequately modeled as scattering coefficient (dB) = a theta b with typical values for the incidence-angle coefficient from 0.07 to 0.15 dB/deg. A small diurnal effect occurs, with measurements at sunrise being 0.5 dB to 1 dB higher than the rest of the day. Maximum-likelihood estimation algorithms presented here permit determination of relative bias and true pointing angle for each beam. Specific implementation of these algorithms for the proposed NOSS scatterometer system is also discussed.

Birrer, I. J.↗

Identification and control of spacecraft

Information on the identification and control of spacecraft is given. Maximum likelihood estimation, identification accuracy issues, steady state identifiability analysis and stochastic error with process noise are among the topics addressed.

Greene, C. S.↗

On parameter identification for large space structures

The design of a controller for large space structures (LSS) based on the LQG theory requires the knowledge of the LSS parameters. Since apriori knowledge of the parameters is usually not reliable, the parameters must be identified prior to the controller synthesis, using methods such as the maximum likelihood technique. An expression is obtained for the Fisher information matrix for LSS, from which Cramer-Rao bounds can be obtained in order to determine the accuracy with which the parameters can be identified.

Joshi, S. M.↗

Atmospheric correction analysis on LANDSAT data over the Amazon region

The Amazon Region natural resources were studied in two ways and compared. A LANDSAT scene and its attributes were selected, and a maximum likelihood classification was made. The scene was atmospherically corrected, taking into account Amazonic peculiarities revealed by (ground truth) of the same area, and the subsequent classification. Comparison shows that the classification improves with the atmospherically corrected images.

Parada, N. D. J.↗

Establishment of a center of excellence for applied mathematical and statistical research

The state of the art was assessed with regards to efforts in support of the crop production estimation problem and alternative generic proportion estimation techniques were investigated. Topics covered include modeling the greeness profile (Badhwarmos model), parameter estimation using mixture models such as CLASSY, and minimum distance estimation as an alternative to maximum likelihood estimation. Approaches to the problem of obtaining proportion estimates when the underlying distributions are asymmetric are examined including the properties of Weibull distribution.

Woodward, W. A.↗

A Review of System Identification Methods Applied to Aircraft

Airplane identification, equation error method, maximum likelihood method, parameter estimation in frequency domain, extended Kalman filter, aircraft equations of motion, aerodynamic model equations, criteria for the selection of a parsimonious model, and online aircraft identification are addressed.

Klein, V.↗

Stochastic models for atomic clocks

For the atomic clocks used in the National Bureau of Standards Time Scales, an adequate model is the superposition of white FM, random walk FM, and linear frequency drift for times longer than about one minute. The model was tested on several clocks using maximum likelihood techniques for parameter estimation and the residuals were acceptably random. Conventional diagnostics indicate that additional model elements contribute no significant improvement to the model even at the expense of the added model complexity.

Barnes, J. A.↗

Classification by thresholding

A procedure is given which substantially reduces the processing time needed to perform maximum likelihood classification on large data sets. The given method uses a set of fixed thresholds which, if exceeded by one probability density function, makes it unnecessary to evaluate a competing density function. Proofs are given of the existence and optimality of these thresholds for the class of continuous, unimodal, and quasi-concave density functions (which includes the multivariable normal), and a method for computing the thresholds is provided for the specific case of multivariate normal densities. An example with remote sensing data consisting of some 20,000 observations of four-dimensional data from nine ground-cover classes shows that by using thresholds, one could cut the processing time almost in half.

Feiveson, A. H.↗

Comparing digital data processing techniques for surface mine and reclamation monitoring

The results of three techniques used for processing Landsat digital data are compared for their utility in delineating areas of surface mining and subsequent reclamation. An unsupervised clustering algorithm (ISOCLS), a maximum-likelihood classifier (CLASFY), and a hybrid approach utilizing canonical analysis (ISOCLS/KLTRANS/ISOCLS) were compared by means of a detailed accuracy assessment with aerial photography at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Results show that the hybrid approach was superior to the traditional techniques in distinguishing strip mined and reclaimed areas.

Witt, R. G.↗

Filtering flight data prior to aerodynamic system identification

An algorithm for processing flight-test data to provide state estimates and instrument calibrations for aerodynamic or hydrodynamic system identification by the equation error estimation method is developed and demonstrated on synthesized data. The extended-Kalman-filter algorithm employs a locally level, north-pointing frame of reference, accounts for rotating ellipsoidal earth effects, and estimates sensor bias, scale factors, wind components, and process noise levels by maximum-likelihood parameters. The method is found to be most effective with navigation quality inertial input data. The algorithm is applied to data from a six-degree-of-freedom F-4 aircraft simulation and shown to produce state estimates in good agreement with the simulation values.

Trankle, T. L.↗

Mapping of deciduous forest cover using simulated Landsat-D TM data

An evaluation is presented of the supervised vegetation classification images of heavily forested terrain in the eastern US produced from simulated Landsat-D Thematic Mapper data as part of the Joint NASA/Geosat Test Case study of the Lost River, West Virginia, gas field. This investigation utilized data supplied by the NS-001 aircraft multispectral scanner (15 m IFOV) of NASA. The instruments recognized a total of 9 vegetation classes and one soil class. A hybrid parallelepiped-Bayesian maximum likelihood classifier was employed to produce the supervised vegetation classifications. The data were obtained at the height of the fall foliage display for this portion of West Virginia. Results show that both classifications are highly accurate, based on a comparison of assignment of vegetation classes on each of the images with actual ground conditions. It is noted that the anomalous distribution of certain woody species found in the resulting supervised classifications may be related to the microseepage of methane from the gas reservoir.

Rock, B. N.↗

The atmospheric lifetime experiment. III - Lifetime methodology and application to three years of CFCL3 data

Observations of the chlorofluorocarbon CFCl3 obtained several times daily over the period July 1978 to June 1981 at Adrigole, Ireland; Ragged Point, Barbados; Point Matatula, American Samoa; and Cape Grim, Tasmania are reported. In addition, observations at Cape Meares, Oregon are given for the period January 1980 to June 1981. On January 1, 1980, the average mixing ratio of CFCl3 in the lower troposphere is esimated to have been 168 pptv, and this is calculated to have been increasing 5.7 percent annually. Assuming that the only destruction of CFCl3 occurs in the stratosphere, the lifetime, on January 1, 1980, estimated by a trend technique is 83 + 73, or -27 years; the lifetime estimated from the global inventory of CFCl3 is to + 89 or -25 years. The maximum likelihood current lifetime estimate obtained by combining the estimates from both analysis techniques is 78 years.

Cunnold, D. M.↗

Discrimination Relative to Measures of Non-Normality

The robustness of discriminant functions to nonnormality is investigated. The performance of procedures relative to measures of the difference between the actual distribution of the observations and the usual assumption of normal densities is assessed. For example, the two population, mixed distributions problem with equal costs of misclassification are considered. The parameters are estimated by maximum likelihood and recently proposed robust methods.

Smith, W. B.↗