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"Made available under NASA sponsorshipin t;'e inthrost of early and wire dis.senimnat:on of Earth Resources SurveyPRogram inforination and without liabilityfor any use made thprpnf"I1

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GEOGRAPHIC APPLICATIONS OF ERTS-I IMAGERYTO RURAL LANDSCAPE.CHANGE IN EASTERN TENNESSEE

John B. Rehder* and, James R. O'Malley+-

University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee

Abstract

"----NASA's Earth Resources Technology Satellite has-been '''orbiting the earth and transmitting image data since July.,Because of its capabilities in sensing the same geographicpoint every 18 days and providing a 13,225 square mile viewfrom each image, ERTS has challenged us to the task of inter-preting landscape change from a regional perspective. Amultistage sampling experiment was conducted using low1(10,000') and high (60,000') altitude aircraft imagery incomparison with orbital (560 miles) ERTS imagery. Althoughthe aircraft data provide detailed landscape observationssimilar to ground truth data, they cover relatively smallareas per image frame for irregular static slices of time.By comparison, ERTS provides repetitive observations in aregional perspective for broad-areal coverage. Microdensito-metric and computer techniques are being used to analyze:theERTS imagery for gray tone signatures, comparisons, andultimately for landscape change detection.

Since July, NASA's Earth Resources Technology Satelliteor ERTS-I has been orbiting the earth in a sun-synchronouspolar orbit 560 miles above the earth's surface. Operationalsensors on board consist of four channels of a multispectralscanner system which operate from .5 to 1.1 microns. Threereturn beam vidicon cameras arel also on board but have not

Performed under contract NAS5-21726 issued by theNational Aeronautics and Space Administration.

*Assistant Professor of Geog-aphy

+Ph.D. student. i

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J. B. REHDER AND J. R. O'MALLEY

,been activated since August. Data gathered by the multispec-:tral scanner system are transmitted to ground stations and

!principally to Goddard Space Flight Center where the inputsin digital format are processed into photographic imagery andl,digital tapes. A useful capability of the system is therepetitive coverage offered by ERTS.: Every 18 days the satel-

'lite passes over the same geographic location at almost pre-

cisely the same hour thus providing a temporal as well as a

spatial dimension to the system.

Approximately 735 photographic images are produced each

day. Since July over 180,000 images have flooded the Goddard!T[nn Laaull.tncr Fa. li.t andl the some nn0 nrinrinal i nlvstia a-j rLa ndlguL FacilitLly aInu Gthe YVIIC Jsm O pri fplub | i n |v - ULg

tors who are examining the data nationwide. The University

of Tennessee Geography Remote Sensing Project receives andanalyzes some 32 images in the 70 mm and 9½ x 9½ formats in

color and in black and white on an 18.day cyclic basis..-_.. .__

Among the capabilities of;thissensing satellite is the large arealinear distance edge to edge on thecoverage of 13,225 square miles per

!

experimental remotecoverage: a 115 mileimagery which providesimage frame (Fig. 1).

Unlike conventional large scale aerial photographywhich, since the early 1930's has been an obvious data source

C _ _ _ _K- -_|~ I t d g g r ,s-trA rrA

Fig. 1. Map of ERTS-Icoverage from

Test Site and the regionala single ERTS image.

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3

GEOGRAPHIC APPLICATIONS OF ERTS-I IMAGERY

'for landscape examiners, ERTS-I imagery provides a signifi-cant regional perspective and at the same time possesses _lenough image clarity to make landscape signatures interpret-able.

Using techniques of comparison in a multi-stage sampling:procedure let us examine a case in point in the detection ofregional landscape change produced by surface stripmining inTennessee.1 Conventional low altitude imagery (10,000')produces readily identifiable stripping signatures at a scale!that is too specific for broad coverage applications. Localchange can be detected by the loss of vegetation and surfacesoil on primary excavations. However, such a scale deniesthe observation of more long range and perhaps more signifi-cant regional consequences induced by surface mining.

.___ Intermediate scale imagery until recently has been themost productive for regional interpretation. Some of themost useful has been the high altitude (60,000') imageryIgenerated by the NASA RB-57 aircraft program. Here again,however, the areal extent of the coverage fails to produce an,adequate regional scale. The RB-57 imagery on a 9" x 9" for-,mat encompasses 289 square miles per frame. Thus approxi-mately 45 high altitude images would be required to cover a13,225 square mile area, the same area covered on a singleframe from ERTS.

ERTS-I not only provides a regional scale perspective,it also allow4s for repetitive-observations at regular inter-vals on an 18 day cycle. With isuch a data base of cycliccoverage, landscape change caninot only be detected but alsomonitored. Quantitative data which can be extracted from thejimagery can provide a base from which to calculate furtherlandscape alteration.

Promising in this regard is a current densitometricanalysis of the ERTS imagery for monitoring landscape change.Although the experiment has just begun, it involves the!microdensity scanning of an image of a surficially mined area,in which strip mines appear injlight tones against a darkforested background (Fig. 2 and 3)..

Gray tone densities are then digitized and computer pro-cessed into a computer map printout and a histogram (frequencyIdistribution). By comparing such machine analyzed data fromdifferent dates of-satellite observations, one could determine:if the percentage of gray tones (light) for the strip mined!area had increased at the expense of the dark tones for the

J. B. REHDER AND J. R. O'MALLEY

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Fig. 2 Densitometer sccanand and omutr ritot ro

other l an ERTS image of strip mines on the Cu m berland

for change such as: forest lowr right corespond wih actual srip mines urba grwtas indicated in figure 3. ual aeas an

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becaus of the increased frequency of light toned signatures.

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GEOGRAPHIC APPLICATIONS OF ERTS-I IMAGERY

Fig. 3 ERTS-I image of Eastern Tennessee. October 15, 1972. Note strip mines indicated by arrow which correspond with those in the scan in figure 2. K=Knoxville

References

Rehder, John B. Geographic Applications of ERTS-A Imagery to Rural Landscape Change. Type II Report. NASA Contract NAS5-21726. NASA-ERTS Geography Remote Sensing Project, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, December 1972.

>

^ 7

2ERTS - I IMAGERY DESCRIPTON FORM

NASA-ERTS Geography Remote Sensing ProjectDepartment of GeographyUniversity of TennesseeKnoxville, Tennessee 37916

Dr. John B. Rehder - P.I.James R. O'Malley - As.sistant

Standard Print:

Enhanced Image: Enhancement of surface moisture on

the windward slopes of the Great Smoky Mountains

Image Type: MSS band 7

Altitude: 560 miles

Location: eastern Tennessee/ western North Carolina

Date: October 15. 1972 / 10:43 am

Interpretation/Description: center. Dark tones indicate

prominant areas of surface moisture on the western windward

slopes of the Great Smoky Mtns. The area experienced rains

of 2*+. one day before this observation. Other water signatures

are indicated by dark tones for TVA reservoirs to the north.

Technical Informationprint paper: Kodak Medalist F-h

Enlarger: Beseler

Lens: Schneider 105mm

Aperture: f 5.6

Exposure Time: 65 seconds

Developer/Developing Time Kodak Ektaflo #1

58 seconds

Stop Bath: Kodak Ektaflo Stoo Bath

Fixer: Kodak TRaD,d Fixer


Dr. John B. Rehder - P.I.James R. O'Malley - Assistant

Standard Print:

Enhanced Image: Enhancement of topographic and hydrologic

Image Type: MSS band 7-printed through positive transparency

Altitude: 560 miles


Date: October 15, 1972 10:43 am

Interpretation/Description:Negative print enhances

light toned hydrologic features-reservoirs.streamsand surface

moisture. Topographic grain, surface roughness, slope angles

and lineated ridges are sharply enhanced,

Technical Informationprint paper: Kodak Medalist F-4

Enlarger: Beseler


Aperture: F 8



1.5 minutes

Stop Bath: Kodak Ektaflo Stop Bath

Fixer: Kodak Raici Fixer

4ERTS - I IMAGERY DESCRIPT'ON FORM



Standard Print:

Enhanced Image:Enhancement of cultural landscape features:

agricultural lands. highravs.cities,and surface mines.

Image Type: MSS band 5- printed through positive transparency

Altitude: 560 miles


Date: October 15, 1972 10:h3 am

Interpretation/Description: Negative print enhances cultural

landscape features by reproducing them in dark tones. Roads

appear as dark lines (Interstate 81 upper right). cities as

large dark masses (Knoxville left of center), broad agricultural

lands to the East, and strip mines as dark lines tothe West.


Enlarger: Beseler

Lens: Schneider lQOmnm

Aperture: f_ .


Developer/Developing 'Time Kodak Ektaflo #1'

1 minute

Stop Bath: Kodak Ektaflno Stop TRth

Fixer: KodakR 3nid Fipr



Standard Print: X-to be compared with Images 1-h.6

Enhanced Image:


Altitude: 560 miles

Location: eastern Tennessee

Date: October 15, 1972 10:43 am

Interpretation/Description: Cultural lands~ape features

shown by lighter tones. Cleared land in light shades

in center of image. Dark forested areas to the West.

Strip mines appear as white irregular lines within

the western forested area - Cumberland Plateau.

Technical Informationprint paper: Kodak Medalist F-4

Enlarger: Beseler


Aperture: f 5^6



1.5 minutes

Stop Bath: Ektaflo StoD Bath

Fixer: Kaoda! np .d FiArp

ERTS - I IMAGERY DESCRIPTON FORM

NASA-ERTS Geography Remote Sensing ProjectDepartment of Geography ,University of TennesseeKnoxville, Tennessee 37916


Standard Print:

Enhanced Image: Enhancement of Hydrologic features


Altitude: 560 miles

Location: eastern Tennessee

Date: October 15, 1972 m10:h3 an

Interpretation/Description: Streams and TVA resemrvnrs

appear in dark tones with other phyvsicr features

suppressed.


Enlarger: Beseler

Lens: Schneider 10Omm

Aperture: f h ,5


Developer/Developing Time Kodak Ektaflo #1[

30 seconds


Fixer: Kodak Rapid Fix"pr




Standard Print:

Enhanced Image: 1nhanempntr of .mrfcep rPlief


Altitude: 560 miles

Location: Southern Appalachians/ E. Tenn./ W. N.C.

Date: December 7, 1972 10:38 am

Interpretation/Description: Topographic texture

enhanced in dark tones to indicate slope angles and

relief in the Southern Appalachians. Thp French Broad

River and Asheville, N.C. are located to the left of

center.


Enlarger: Beseler

Lens: Schneider 105Qm

Aperture: f ,.6


Developer/Developing Time Kodak Ektaflo 1

22 seconds

Stop Bath: Kodak gktaflo Stop path

Fixer: Kodnk Rnipd Fixer.r


Dr. John B. Rehder - P.I.J James R. O'Malley - Assistant

Standard Print:X- to be compared with TImags 7, 9

Enhanced Image:


Altitude: 560 miles

Location: Southern ApDalachians/ E.Tenn/ W. Ir.n

Date: December 7, 1972 10:38 am

Interpretation/Description: Physiographic provinces

of the Piedmont (east), Southern Appalachians- Blue Ridge,

and Great Smoky Mountains (center), and the Ridge and

Valley Province to the west. A= Ashville. N.C,


Enlarger: Beseler


Aperture: F 8


Developer/Developing Time Kodak

1.5 minutes

Stop Bath: Kodak Stop Bath

Fixer: Kndvi x-_,r * ¥-

Ektaflo #1-A&06AAAI% ZLA-




Standard Print:X- to be compared with Images 7.8

Enhanced Image:


Altitude: 560 miles

Location: Southern Appalachians/ E. Tenn./ W- NX.-

Date: December 7. 1972 10:38am

Interpretation/Description: Phvsiographic provinces

of the Piedmont (east), Southern ADpalachians - Blue Ridge,

Great Smoky Mountains (center), and the Ridge and Valley

to the Northwest. Hydrologic features appear in the

darkest tones. A- Asheville, N.C.

Technical Informationprint paper: Kodak Medalist F4i

Enlarger: Beseler


Aperture: f 8


Developer/Developing Time Kodak El

1.5 minutes


Fixer: Kodak Rapid Fixer

ktaflo 0#1

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