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Title: EVALUATION OF COLOR-INFRARED PHOTOGRAPHY AND DIGITAL IMAGERY TO MAP BLACK MANGROVE ON THE TEXAS GULF COAST

Author
item Everitt, James
item YANG, CHENGHAI - 6204-05-25
item SUMMY, KENNETH - UNIV. OF TX PAN AMERICAN
item JUDD, FRANK - UNIV. OF TX PAN AMERICAN
item DAVIS, MICHAEL - 6204-05-00

Submitted to: Journal of Coastal Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/11/2006
Publication Date: 1/1/2007
Citation: Everitt, J.H., Yang, C., Summy, K.R., Judd, F.W., Davis, M.R., 2007. Evaluation of color-infrared photography and digital imagery to map black mangrove on the Texas Gulf Coast. Journal of Coastal Research. 23(1):230-235.

Interpretive Summary: Mangrove communities are an important vegetation component in coastal areas of the tropics and subtropics, where they prevent shore erosion and provide wildlife habitat. Black mangrove occurs along the lower South Texas Gulf Coast. A study was conducted on South Padre Island, Texas, to evaluate aerial color-infrared photography and digital imagery in conjunction with computer image analysis for detecting and mapping black mangrove communities. Accuracy assessments performed on computer classified maps of photographic and digital images had user’s and producer’s accuracies ranging from 79% to 100% for black mangrove. These results should be of interest to coastal resource managers interested in mapping the extent of black mangrove.

Technical Abstract: A study was conducted on the South Texas Gulf Coast to evaluate color-infrared (CIR) aerial photography and CIR true digital imagery combined with unsupervised image analysis techniques to distinguish and map black mangrove [Avicennia germinans (L.) L.] populations. Accuracy assessments performed on computer classified maps of photographic and digital images of the same study site had both producer’s and user’s accuracies of 100% for black mangrove. An accuracy assessment performed on a computer classified map of a digital image only of a second study site had a producer’s accuracy of 78.6% and a user’s accuracy of 100%. These results indicate that CIR photography and digital imagery combined with image analysis techniques can be used successfully to distinguish and quantify the extent of black mangrove along the South Texas Gulf Coast.