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Book Review—Remote Sensing of Wetlands Applications and Advances
BookReview At almost 600 pages long and 3 ½ pounds in weight, this hefty and ponderous volume presents the reader with an in-depth exposition encompassing state-of-the-art remote sensing techniques and methods as applied to the art and science of wetland mapping. The book is authoritative and scholarly, and also a pleasure to read, particularly because of the central topic: wetlands - extremely valuable, often fragile and complex, natural and man-made systems. Throughout the book we are reminded that wetlands notoriously challenge the accuracy of mapping efforts carried out by using either proximal sensing (e.g. wet feet on the ground) or remote sensing from the air or from space. Frequently, the structural and functional complexity of wetlands translates into spatial and spectral complexity. Paraphrasing what the author of Chapter Three wrote, the harder a wetland is to identify and map on the ground, the harder becomes to identify and map it using remote sensing. Through their collaborative work, the authors of this volume successfully provide extensive proof that the detection, identification, delineation and surveying, classification, mapping and monitoring of wetlands are each fraught with difficulties, which span the continuum of information acquisition and exploitation extending from the field on up to remote sensing platforms and sensors. Despite its sharp technological edge – which necessarily imparts a perishable nature to some of the information it contains, this book is a highly valuable and durable reference for any reader who wants to acquire foundational and state-of-the-practice information, at a general or detailed level on the use of remote sensing technologies, techniques and methods as applied to wetland mapping. This volume is the result of a successfully applied utilitarian design approach. The information presented is useful to and useable by readers at many different levels, and who may be working with a wide diversity of interests. The assembled corpus is organized in a way that leads the reader from the foundations and fundamentals of wetland science to an analysis of successful applications of remote sensing using case studies. The editors – also authors themselves – have selected a vast group of fifty-six credentialed scholars who provide clear and precise writing styles without sacrificing depth of content. The book contains a table of acronyms, and is profusely illustrated with figures – images and maps and supported with tables throughout its entirety, making the text quite readable. Illustrative materials occur on average on about every other page and only rarely sections are too long and without figures or tables. As chapters progress, the contributing authors collectively amass an impressive amount of references supporting their chapters, and in some cases materials for further reading are pointed out. The volume has been carefully written and thoroughly edited and it flows virtually free from typographic or grammatical errors.
Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing
Remote Sensing of Wetlands Applications and Advances
Ralph W. Tiner, Megan W. Lang, and Victor V. Klemas, Editors
CRC Press Taylor and Francis Group – Boca Raton, London, New York 2015, xvii and 555 pp., black and white and color illustrations, tables, photos, images, maps, index. ISBN-13 978-14822-3735-1 (Hardback), Hardcover $xx.xx
Reviewed by Demetrio P. Zourarakis, PhD, GISP, CMSRS, CMS-GIS/LIS, GIS and Remote Sensing Analyst, Kentucky Division of Geographic Information
The twenty-five chapters are arranged in four sections, each providing increasing level of detail as the application and applicability of remote sensing to the study and mapping of wetlands is revisited as a recurring theme. Section One – “Introduction to the Use of Remote Sensing for Wetland mapping” contains the first five chapters; the first three chapters address the many challenges posed by this ecosystem of definitions, classification (e.g. Ramsar Convention International Wetland Classification System) and inventorying systems (e.g. Canadian Wetland Inventory, National Wetlands Inventory) and the mapping constraints and challenges they give rise to. These issues reappear in later chapters as they are central to the issue of mapping accuracy. Chapter Four deals with the early applications of remote sensing to wetland mapping and is of great historic value. Chapter Five presents the reader with a compilation of remote sensing techniques and types of sensors and sensor data which exhibit usefulness in the study continued on page 921
D ecember 2016
917
Helmert (geocentric) transformation estimated to be better than ±2 meters relative to the new geodetic framework. The third level will be a polynomial algorithm with an accuracy of better than ±0.2 meters relative to the new geodetic framework. A new National Grid is contemplated based on the GRS80 ellipsoid, and may be the UTM (Zones 29 & 30). The Malin Head Vertical Datum of 1970 is the current system for all 1:50,000 mapping in Ireland. Earlier maps used the low water mark of the spring tide on the 8th of April, 1837 at Poolbeg Lighthouse, Dublin Bay. The Malin Head (County Donegal) Datum is approximately 2.71 meters above the Poolbeg Lighthouse Datum. All large scale mapping in Northern Ireland uses mean sea level at Belfast which is 0.037 meters below the Malin Head Datum.
and Land & Property Services (LPS – Formerly OSNI) have collaborated again to improve the OSGM02 geoid model covering the United Kingdom and Ireland. A new Geoid model OSGM15 was launched on the 26th of August 2016. The polynomial transformation for Ireland and Northern Ireland has not changed however there are solutions available for download. Grid Inquest II took over from Grid Inquest I on the 26th of August 2016.
Update
There is also a developers pack available to download.
The Ordnance Survey of Ireland now has a Co-ordnate (sic) Converter that will interactively convert the following co-ordinate reference systems: WGS84 (World Geodetic System 1984) / ETRF89 (European Terrestrial Reference Frame 1989), Irish Grid, ITM (Irish Transverse Mercator), UTM (Universal Transverse Mercator). OSGM15 and OSTN15 have updated transformations for UK and Ireland. The Ordnance Survey of Great Britain (OSGB), Ireland (OSi)
Windows32-GridInQuestII-0100 Windows64-GridInQuestII-0100 OSX-GridInQuestII-0100 Linux32-GridInQuestII-0100 Linux64-GridInQuestII-0100
The contents of this column reflect the views of the author, who is responsible for the facts and accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing and/ or the Louisiana State University Center for GeoInformatics (C4G).
This column was previously published in PE&RS.
Book Review continued from page 917
and monitoring of wetlands. Chapters Six through Ten in Section Two (“Summaries of Remote Sensing technologies and Their Application for Mapping Wetlands”) are each devoted to summarizing remote sensing technologies applied to wetland mapping – such as SAR, InSAR, radar/optical image fusion, OBIA and the use of the now pervasive UAS for wetland mapping, and present a solid treatment of the theoretical underpinnings of each technology. Section Three (“Applications of Remote Sensing for Mapping Specific Wetland Habitats”) contains Chapters Eleven through Twenty-Four and presents examples of case studies, specific and focused applications of remote sensing methods to a highly diverse number of wetland systems – e.g. from prairie potholes to Amazonian wetlands to wetlands in the Permafrost, and from mangrove forests to coastal wetlands to peatlands, understandably spanning geographies covering most continents. The techniques featured include lidar (e.g. bathymetric), radar, passive microwave, and multispectral imagery at moderate resolution; sensors on aerial and satellite platforms are addressed. Hydrology, geology and soils information come into play in models utilizing sensor data. The fusion of geomorphic and terrain derivative data with optical and radar data, and the use of advanced classification algorithms – notably random forests, are exemplified. The potentials and limitations of each approach are explored in detail and supported adequately with charts and graphs, in addition to maps.
Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing
Taking a look at the immediate future, Chapter TwentyFive – “Promising Developments and Future Challenges for Remote Sensing of Wetlands”, makes up Section Four in its entirety. In this chapter the authors take a brief look at each of the most promising sensors and methodologies, some of which were touched upon in previous chapters. Several areas that need attention and development are also identified, such as for example automated classification techniques and algorithms, emerging sensors and platforms, wetland water regime detection and the possibilities for a unified wetland classification system. This book represents an erudite compendium and also a very readable exposition of the current body of knowledge on this topic, making it valuable both as a course textbook and as a reference for research. “Remote Sensing of Wetlands – Applications and Advances” is a very suitable primer for the person new to this domain, but should be required as a definitive cornerstone for the development of academic programs dealing with wetland mapping. The depth and breadth of coverage achieved by the editors make this volume indispensable and essential to any scholarly effort aimed at applying remote sensing to the mapping, study, understanding and preservation of these complex, valuable and endangered ecosystems.
D ecember 2016
921
Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing
Remote Sensing of Wetlands Applications and Advances
Ralph W. Tiner, Megan W. Lang, and Victor V. Klemas, Editors
CRC Press Taylor and Francis Group – Boca Raton, London, New York 2015, xvii and 555 pp., black and white and color illustrations, tables, photos, images, maps, index. ISBN-13 978-14822-3735-1 (Hardback), Hardcover $xx.xx
Reviewed by Demetrio P. Zourarakis, PhD, GISP, CMSRS, CMS-GIS/LIS, GIS and Remote Sensing Analyst, Kentucky Division of Geographic Information
The twenty-five chapters are arranged in four sections, each providing increasing level of detail as the application and applicability of remote sensing to the study and mapping of wetlands is revisited as a recurring theme. Section One – “Introduction to the Use of Remote Sensing for Wetland mapping” contains the first five chapters; the first three chapters address the many challenges posed by this ecosystem of definitions, classification (e.g. Ramsar Convention International Wetland Classification System) and inventorying systems (e.g. Canadian Wetland Inventory, National Wetlands Inventory) and the mapping constraints and challenges they give rise to. These issues reappear in later chapters as they are central to the issue of mapping accuracy. Chapter Four deals with the early applications of remote sensing to wetland mapping and is of great historic value. Chapter Five presents the reader with a compilation of remote sensing techniques and types of sensors and sensor data which exhibit usefulness in the study continued on page 921
D ecember 2016
917
Helmert (geocentric) transformation estimated to be better than ±2 meters relative to the new geodetic framework. The third level will be a polynomial algorithm with an accuracy of better than ±0.2 meters relative to the new geodetic framework. A new National Grid is contemplated based on the GRS80 ellipsoid, and may be the UTM (Zones 29 & 30). The Malin Head Vertical Datum of 1970 is the current system for all 1:50,000 mapping in Ireland. Earlier maps used the low water mark of the spring tide on the 8th of April, 1837 at Poolbeg Lighthouse, Dublin Bay. The Malin Head (County Donegal) Datum is approximately 2.71 meters above the Poolbeg Lighthouse Datum. All large scale mapping in Northern Ireland uses mean sea level at Belfast which is 0.037 meters below the Malin Head Datum.
and Land & Property Services (LPS – Formerly OSNI) have collaborated again to improve the OSGM02 geoid model covering the United Kingdom and Ireland. A new Geoid model OSGM15 was launched on the 26th of August 2016. The polynomial transformation for Ireland and Northern Ireland has not changed however there are solutions available for download. Grid Inquest II took over from Grid Inquest I on the 26th of August 2016.
Update
There is also a developers pack available to download.
The Ordnance Survey of Ireland now has a Co-ordnate (sic) Converter that will interactively convert the following co-ordinate reference systems: WGS84 (World Geodetic System 1984) / ETRF89 (European Terrestrial Reference Frame 1989), Irish Grid, ITM (Irish Transverse Mercator), UTM (Universal Transverse Mercator). OSGM15 and OSTN15 have updated transformations for UK and Ireland. The Ordnance Survey of Great Britain (OSGB), Ireland (OSi)
Windows32-GridInQuestII-0100 Windows64-GridInQuestII-0100 OSX-GridInQuestII-0100 Linux32-GridInQuestII-0100 Linux64-GridInQuestII-0100
The contents of this column reflect the views of the author, who is responsible for the facts and accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing and/ or the Louisiana State University Center for GeoInformatics (C4G).
This column was previously published in PE&RS.
Book Review continued from page 917
and monitoring of wetlands. Chapters Six through Ten in Section Two (“Summaries of Remote Sensing technologies and Their Application for Mapping Wetlands”) are each devoted to summarizing remote sensing technologies applied to wetland mapping – such as SAR, InSAR, radar/optical image fusion, OBIA and the use of the now pervasive UAS for wetland mapping, and present a solid treatment of the theoretical underpinnings of each technology. Section Three (“Applications of Remote Sensing for Mapping Specific Wetland Habitats”) contains Chapters Eleven through Twenty-Four and presents examples of case studies, specific and focused applications of remote sensing methods to a highly diverse number of wetland systems – e.g. from prairie potholes to Amazonian wetlands to wetlands in the Permafrost, and from mangrove forests to coastal wetlands to peatlands, understandably spanning geographies covering most continents. The techniques featured include lidar (e.g. bathymetric), radar, passive microwave, and multispectral imagery at moderate resolution; sensors on aerial and satellite platforms are addressed. Hydrology, geology and soils information come into play in models utilizing sensor data. The fusion of geomorphic and terrain derivative data with optical and radar data, and the use of advanced classification algorithms – notably random forests, are exemplified. The potentials and limitations of each approach are explored in detail and supported adequately with charts and graphs, in addition to maps.
Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing
Taking a look at the immediate future, Chapter TwentyFive – “Promising Developments and Future Challenges for Remote Sensing of Wetlands”, makes up Section Four in its entirety. In this chapter the authors take a brief look at each of the most promising sensors and methodologies, some of which were touched upon in previous chapters. Several areas that need attention and development are also identified, such as for example automated classification techniques and algorithms, emerging sensors and platforms, wetland water regime detection and the possibilities for a unified wetland classification system. This book represents an erudite compendium and also a very readable exposition of the current body of knowledge on this topic, making it valuable both as a course textbook and as a reference for research. “Remote Sensing of Wetlands – Applications and Advances” is a very suitable primer for the person new to this domain, but should be required as a definitive cornerstone for the development of academic programs dealing with wetland mapping. The depth and breadth of coverage achieved by the editors make this volume indispensable and essential to any scholarly effort aimed at applying remote sensing to the mapping, study, understanding and preservation of these complex, valuable and endangered ecosystems.
D ecember 2016
921