PE&RS May 2000

Peer-Reviewed Article Abstracts

591 Introduction to Special Issue: Geospatial Technology in China
Hui Lin

593 Remote Sensing and GIS for Urban Growth Analysis in China
Shupeng Chen, Shan Zheng, and Chuangji Xie

Abstract
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The progress of urban remote sensing and GIS in China since the early 1980s is reviewed. The first section introduces the early applications of remote sensing to environmental monitoring and resources investigation, and outlines its achievements. The second section focuses on further analysis of urban expansion from the point of view of spatial distribution patterns and temporal change, taking Beijing, Shanghai, and Dongguan as examples. Urban GIS is discussed in the third section. The regional differences of UGIS development in China are detailed from south to north. As remote sensing and GIS technologies develop, they will be combined for use in urban planing and management.

599 A Chinese Spaceborne Scanning Scatterometer (CNSCAT) Design
Jingshan Jiang, Yunhua Zhang, Xiaolong Dong, and Jing Huang

Abstract
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The system design, principles, technical characteristics, and preliminary simulation results of the China Spaceborne Scanning Scatterometer (China Scanscat or CNSCAT ) are introduced. This system uses two parabolic antennas, which do conical scanning around the axis normal to the observation surface. These two antennas (one for horizontal polarization and the other for vertical polarization) are separated by 90-degrees in azimuth but have the same incident angle. The CNSCAT  is different from the recently launched NASA  Quickscat, although both of them use a pencil-beam antenna. In the design of CNSCAT , a near-field absolute calibration of the antenna is involved. The simulation shows that the CNSCAT  has the capability to retrieve the wind field and can meet the design goal.

605 Hyperspectral Image Processing and Analysis System (HIPAS) and Its Applications
Bing Zhang, Xiangjun Wang, Jiangui Liu, Lanfen Zheng, and Qingxi Tong

Abstract
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A hyperspectral image processing and analysis system (HIPAS) has been developed by the Institute of Remote Sensing Applications of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The HIPAS, built on Interactive Data Language (IDL) and implemented on Windows NT  workstations, meets the requirements for the rapid preprocessing of imaging spectrometer data and easy prototyping of algorithms. Integrated with a spectral library, which was implemented on the FoxPro, a popular database environment in the Windows NT  platform, the spectral analysis model was established to support hyperspectral image analyses. Based on the HIPAS, some hyperspectral remote sensing application studies were completed in China. These included mineral identification, agriculture investigation, urban mapping, and the study of wetland vegetation.

611 Spaceborne and Airborne SAR for Target Detection and Flood Monitoring
Huadong Guo

Abstract
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The Spaceborne Imaging Radar - C/X -band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) mission was a cooperative endeavor of the United States, Germany, and Italy. The SIR-C/X-SAR  scientific research program was a large international cooperative program of radar for Earth observation in which 13 countries participated, including China. SIR-C/X-SAR, with the ability to acquire polarimetric SAR and interferometric SAR  data, was the first spaceborne radar to operate simultaneously at several frequencies and polarizations, representing the most advanced civilian SAR  system for Earth observation. This paper will present some results of the SIR-C/X-SAR program made in China. The emphasis is placed on aerial and ground synchronous experiments with SIR-C/X-SAR  overpasses, SAR  penetration studies for dry sands, and SIR-C/X-SAR  data applications in relevant fields and different areas, e.g., discovering the volcanoes of the Kunlun Mountains, detecting geological features underneath vegetation canopies, and revealing the Great Wall segments of the Ming and Sui dynasties. The paper also introduces the use of the Chinese airborne L-band SAR  system, developed by the Chinese High Technology Program, for flood monitoring in 1998.

619 Object-Oriented and Integrated Spatial Data Model for Managing Image, DEM, and Vector Data
Jianya Gong and Deren Li

Abstract
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The new generation of geographic information systems (GIS) demand the integrated management of vector, image, and DEM data. This paper brings forward a vector, image, and DEM integrated spatial data model on the basis of the object-oriented idea. It also discusses the implementation method of this integrated spatial database management system. The spatial database management system has been used in the construction of the China Spatial Data Infrastructure as the base of a GIS  software package, GeoStar. It reveals that the system has high efficiency and the feasibility to manage national, provincial, and city spatial data of multiple-scales and multiple-sources.

625 Automatic Registration of Multi-Source    Imagery Based on Global Image Matching
Zuxun Zhang, Jianqing Zhang, Mingsheng Liao, and  Li Zhang

Abstract
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Image fusion is important in the synthetic application of multi-source remotely sensed images, and image registration is the basis of image fusion. The traditional method of manual registration is a laborious, tedious, and complex task. For improving the efficiency of image fusion, automatic methods of image registration must be used. In this paper, automatic registration based on the theory and methods of image matching is presented. The main contents include extraction of single point matching, reliability strategy based on a hierarchical pyramid image structure, and global image matching. The automatic registration of multi-source remote sensing images is then discussed, the presentation being based on global image matching. Finally, the successful results of the automated registration and fusion of TM and SPOT images are presented.

633 Flood Monitoring Using Multi-Temporal AVHRR and RADARSAT Imagery
Ghenghu Zhou, Jiancheng Luo, Cunjian Yang, Baolin Li, and Shixin Wang

Abstract
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Multi-temporal NOAA AVHRR  and RADARSAT  images depicting flood conditions in the Nenjiang and Songhua River Basins during the summer of 1998 were used to monitor the floods and assess the damage. A knowledge-based RBFNN  model was developed to extract the dynamic flooding information from AVHRR  images. To map the flooded area more accurately, three RADARSAT Scan SAR images acquired at different times were used. Threshold-based image segmentation and texture analysis methods were utilized to process the SAR  image, and to extract information on flooding duration and depth. This study shows that the integrated use of different remote sensing platforms images can provide real-time and all-weather monitoring of floods and provide necessary information for flooding control and disaster relief.

639 The Effect of Temporal Aliasing in Satellite Altimetry
Ge Chen and Hui Lin

Abstract
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A detailed analysis on the effect of temporal aliasing associated with TOPEX /Poseidon, Geosat, and ERS altimeters has been carried out. In the time domain, aliasing occurs when the original period of an oceanographic signal, T_o, is less than twice the satellite repeat orbit period, T_s. The most striking feature of temporal aliasing is that the alias period, T_a, appears as a quasi-periodic d-like function with respect to T_s, and a non-periodic d-like function with respect to T_o. Histograms of T_a versus T_o suggest that signals with original periods between 0 and 2T_s are aliased onto periods ranging from 2T_s to with a rapidly decreasing probability. The potential consequences of temporal aliasing in satellite altimetry are discussed in the context of orbit design and sampling strategy for geophysical applications.

645 Dynamic Monitoring and Yield Estimation of Crops by Mainly Using the Remote Sensing Technique in China
Jiulin Sun

Abstract
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In recent decades, using remote sensing and other techniques to dynamically monitor crop growth and estimate crop yields has become an important research trend in China, which is one of the most important applications of remote sensing in agriculture. In this article, the author first reviews the history of research on crops yield estimation, then introduces the main contents of the research and explains how to establish an operating system for remote sensing, including the key techniques and solutions. Finally, on the basis of experience, some theoretical and technological problems that need to be further studied are put forward after the discussion on how to establish an efficient cost-effective and operational system.

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