Satellite Remote Sensing Tools in Support of Forest Monitoring

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Satellite Remote Sensing Tools in Support of
Forest Monitoring

• Presented by Joe Spruce and Jerry Gasser
• NASA Stennis Space Center
• Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment
  Center Review
• July 6, 2009

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Background on activity

• NASA Stennis is helping the USFS EFETAC to
  integrate NASA satellite data products into a
  national forest threat early warning system
• Most of work regards MODIS time series data
• MODIS NDVI data for vegetation phenology product
  development
• MODIS NDVI products for monitoring historical and
  current forest disturbance
• Some work is being done with other NASA satellite
  data and software products

Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment
Center Review July 6, 2009
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Development of MODIS Vegetation Phenology Products

• Presented by Jerry Gasser

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Center Review July 6, 2009
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Objectives for developing CONUS vegetation
phenology products

• Compute and deliver the highest possible quality
  vegetation phenology geospatial data base for the
  conterminous United States (CONUS )
• Using 250 meter MODIS data from Aqua and Terra
  sensors
• Evaluate the utility of the phenological database
  as input to the EWS for monitoring forest threats
• Employ products in assessing known forest
  disturbances
• Validate against available reference data

Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment
Center Review July 6, 2009
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MODIS vegetation phenology product development
method

• Data Downloading
• Primary data set - MODIS MOD 13 NDVI data
• 250 meter 16-day composite product
• Downloaded 9 years of CONUS coverage (2000
  2008)
• Data Processing
• The Time Series Product Tool (TSPT) software is
  used to generate filtered time series data
  products
• The Phenological Parameters Estimation Tool
  (PPET) software uses the TSPT output to compute
  phenological parameters for each pixel
• Output Products
• Phenological parameter data tiles are mosaicked
  into CONUS products that are in a standard map
  projection

Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment
Center Review July 6, 2009
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MODIS tiles for CONUS coverage
CONUS Products are Based on 14 Tiles of MOD13 Data
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Center Review July 6, 2009
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MODIS vegetation phenology product overall work
flow
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TSPT processing overview
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PPET processing overview
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Vegetation phenology parameter products

• NDVI Value and Date of Occurrence for
• Left Season Minimum
• Season Start
• Onset of Max Greenness
• Season Max NDVI
• Onset of Greenness Decrease
• Season End
• Right Season Minimum
• Additional Products
• Season Integral Products
• Cumulative Integral Products
• Quality Control (QC) flags

Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment
Center Review July 6, 2009
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MODIS CONUS vegetation phenology product
deliverables

• Version 1.0
• Derived from MOD13 Collection 4 data
• CONUS phenological parameter and cumulative
  integral products for 2000-2006
• Version 1.5
• Derived from MOD13 Collection 5 data
• Generated using the average of AQUA and TERRA
  products
• CONUS phenological parameters and cumulative
  integrals for 2006-2008
• Version 2.0 (scheduled for October 2009)
• Will utilize MOD13 Collection 5 data
• Generated using Day of Year (DOY) acquisition
  information
• CONUS phenological parameter and cumulative
  integral products for 2000-2008

Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment
Center Review July 6, 2009
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MODIS CONUS phenology product validation -
observations

• Compared field data to PPET results and
  alternative MODIS-based phenology products
  (MOD12Q2) derived at 1 km resolution
• Also compared PPET results directly to the
  MOD12Q2 product for mapped northern hardwood
  forest in the northeastern U.S.
• Efforts to quantify accuracy of satellite
  phenology product results are confounded by
  differences in product resolution, differences in
  product development methods, in-availability of
  field data relevant to MODIS scales of
  observation, and in-availability of good,
  detailed forest cover type maps
• The PPET phenology products do appear to be
  useful as indices of forest growing season
  conditions that can be monitored over time
• Each 250 meter pixel equates to 6.25 hectares
  (15 acres) on the ground

Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment
Center Review July 6, 2009
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Use of MODIS Products for Forest Disturbance
Monitoring

• Presented by Joe Spruce

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Center Review July 6, 2009
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Background - MODIS forest disturbance monitoring
efforts

• Since 2007, NASA SSC and the USFS have worked to
  assess MODIS time series data products for
  monitoring regional forest disturbance from
  multiple threats
• Even though MODIS is spatially coarse, its broad
  area coverage and daily collection offer
  advantages for monitoring regional forest
  conditions
• We are conducting case studies to assess,
  develop, and demonstrate MODIS NDVI products for
  tracking forest disturbance from specific threats
• Such studies have been done in hindcast and more
  recently nowcast modes

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Center Review July 6, 2009
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Forest threat assessment case studies in support
of EWS development
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Center Review July 6, 2009
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Gypsy Moth Defoliation Detection Studiesfor 2001
and 2007
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Center Review July 6, 2009
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Assessing gypsy moth forest defoliation with
MODIS NDVI data

• The forest threat EWS requires wall to wall
  regional detection of forest defoliation,
  preferably in near real time
• An initial feasibility study was done in the
  Central Appalachian highlands of the eastern US,
  an area prone to gypsy moth (GM) defoliation
• GM defoliation was detected from classifications
  of 48 day temporal composites of MODIS NDVI
  products from the defoliation time frame (June
  10-July 27) for 2000-2006

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Example MODIS 2001 gypsy moth defoliation
detection products
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Validation of MODIS 2001 gypsy moth defoliation
detection products

• Defoliation detection products were validated by
  image interpretation of random sample locations
  on Landsat and ASTER satellite displays

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Example of 2007 gypsy moth forest defoliation
from MOD13 data
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Use of MODIS NDVI for Near Real Time (NRT)
Monitoring of Insect Defoliation

• Example Eastern US

Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment
Center Review July 6, 2009
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2009 Near Real Time (NRT) Forest Defoliation
Detection Michigan
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MODIS 2009 NRT Forest Defoliation Detection
Western Pennsylvania
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MODIS-Based Assessment of Forest Damage from
Hurricanes

• Main Example Hurricane Katrina

Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment
Center Review July 6, 2009
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MODIS products for assessing forest damage from
Hurricane Katrina
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View of hurricane impact zones from 20 left
maximum NDVI products
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Use of MODIS Products in Assessing Western US
Forest Mortality and Decline

• Example - Northern Colorado

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Center Review July 6, 2009
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Objectives Northern Colorado Case Study

• Assess MODIS phenology products for monitoring
  forest disturbance events in the western US Rocky
  Mountains
• Cumulative Integral NDVI, Peak Growing Season
  NDVI, and 80 Right Growing Season NDVI
• Assess MODIS MOD13 temporal composite products
  for monitoring mountain pine beetle mortality
• Focus initial work in Colorado, using sketch
  maps, Landsat, and aerial reference data

Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment
Center Review July 6, 2009
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Western US view of forest conditions in 2006 vs.
baseline cumulative NDVI
2002-2006 Maximum NDVI CI-23 in red color gun
2006 CI-23 in blue and green
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USGS 2002-2006 fire perimeter maps overlain onto
MODIS RGB
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2006 USFS MPB mortality sketch map overlain onto
MODIS RGB
Mountain pine beetle forest mortality was rarely
noted in the eastern flank, where there was less
drop cumulative NDVI in 2006 versus the baseline
(maximum cumulative NDVI of 2002-2006)
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True color summer 2006 Landsat data overlain onto
MODIS RGB
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Center Review July 6, 2009
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MODIS RGB versus summer 2006 Landsat true color
RGB
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Participation in this work by NASA Stennis
contractors (e.g., Science Systems
Applications, Inc. and Lockheed Martin
Corporation) at the John C. Stennis Space Center,
Mississippi was enabled under NASA Task Order
NNS04AB54T.
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Center Review July 6, 2009
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