• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
• /
• v.37 no.5_1
• /
• pp.989-998
• /
• 2021

In the utilization of optical satellite imagery, which is greatly affected by clouds, periodic composite technique is a useful method to minimize the influence of clouds. Recently, a technique for selecting the optimal pixel that is least affected by the cloud and shadow during a certain period by directly inputting cloud and cloud shadow information during period compositing has been proposed. Accurate extraction of clouds and cloud shadowsis essential in order to derive optimal composite results. Also, in the case of an surface targets where spectral information is important, such as crops, the loss of spectral information should be minimized during cloud-free compositing. In thisstudy, clouds using two spectral indicators (Haze Optimized Tranformation and MeanVis) were used to derive a detection technique with low loss ofspectral information while maintaining high detection accuracy of clouds and cloud shadowsfor cabbage fieldsin the highlands of Gangwon-do. These detection results were compared and analyzed with cloud and cloud shadow information provided by Sentinel-2A/B. As a result of analyzing data from 2019 to 2021, cloud information from Sentinel-2A/B satellites showed detection accuracy with an F1 value of 0.91, but bright artifacts were falsely detected as clouds. On the other hand, the cloud detection result obtained by applying the threshold (=0.05) to the HOT showed relatively low detection accuracy (F1=0.72), but the loss ofspectral information was minimized due to the small number of false positives. In the case of cloud shadows, only minimal shadows were detected in the Sentinel-2A/B additional layer, but when a threshold (= 0.015) was applied to MeanVis, cloud shadowsthat could be distinguished from the topographically generated shadows could be detected. By inputting spectral indicators-based cloud and shadow information,stable monthly cloud-free composited vegetation index results were obtained, and in the future, high-accuracy cloud information of Sentinel-2A/B will be input to periodic cloud-free composite for comparison.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
• /
• v.40 no.4
• /
• pp.351-361
• /
• 2024

Satellite imagery contains various elements such as clouds, cloud shadows, and terrain shadows. Accurately identifying and eliminating these factors that complicate satellite image analysis is essential for maintaining the reliability of remote sensing imagery. For this reason, satellites such as Landsat-8, Sentinel-2, and Compact Advanced Satellite 500-1 (CAS500-1) provide Usable Data Masks(UDMs)with images as part of their Analysis Ready Data (ARD) product. Precise detection of clouds and their shadows is crucial for the accurate construction of these UDMs. Existing cloud and their shadow detection methods are categorized into threshold-based methods and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based methods. Recently, AI-based methods, particularly deep learning networks, have been preferred due to their advantage in handling large datasets. This study aims to analyze the applicability of constructing UDMs for high-resolution satellite images through deep learning-based cloud and their shadow detection using open-source datasets. To validate the performance of the deep learning network, we compared the detection results generated by the network with pre-existing UDMs from Landsat-8, Sentinel-2, and CAS500-1 satellite images. The results demonstrated that high accuracy in the detection outcomes produced by the deep learning network. Additionally, we applied the network to detect cloud and their shadow in KOMPSAT-3/3A images, which do not provide UDMs. The experiment confirmed that the deep learning network effectively detected cloud and their shadow in high-resolution satellite images. Through this, we could demonstrate the applicability that UDM data for high-resolution satellite imagery can be constructed using the deep learning network.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
• /
• v.37 no.5_1
• /
• pp.1149-1161
• /
• 2021

With a trend of the utilization of computer vision for satellite images, cloud detection using deep learning also attracts attention recently. In this study, we conducted a U-Net cloud detection modeling using SPARCS (Spatial Procedures for Automated Removal of Cloud and Shadow) Cloud Dataset with the image data augmentation and carried out 10-fold cross-validation for an objective assessment of the model. Asthe result of the blind test for 1800 datasets with 512 by 512 pixels, relatively high performance with the accuracy of 0.821, the precision of 0.847, the recall of 0.821, the F1-score of 0.831, and the IoU (Intersection over Union) of 0.723. Although 14.5% of actual cloud shadows were misclassified as land, and 19.7% of actual clouds were misidentified as land, this can be overcome by increasing the quality and quantity of label datasets. Moreover, a state-of-the-art DeepLab V3+ model and the NAS (Neural Architecture Search) optimization technique can help the cloud detection for CAS500 (Compact Advanced Satellite 500) in South Korea.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
• /
• v.39 no.5_1
• /
• pp.637-654
• /
• 2023

In recent years, the number of users has been increasing with the rapid development of earth observation satellites. In response, the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) has been striving to provide user-friendly satellite images by introducing the concept of Analysis Ready Data (ARD) and defining its requirements as CEOS ARD for Land (CARD4L). In ARD, a mask called an Unusable Data Mask (UDM), identifying unnecessary pixels for land analysis, should be provided with a satellite image. UDMs include clouds, cloud shadows, terrain shadows, etc. Terrain shadows are generated in mountainous terrain with large terrain relief, and these areas cause errors in analysis due to their low radiation intensity. previous research on terrain shadow detection focused on detecting terrain shadow pixels to correct terrain shadows. However, this should be replaced by the terrain correction method. Therefore, there is a need to expand the purpose of terrain shadow detection. In this study, to utilize CAS500-4 for forest and agriculture analysis, we extended the scope of the terrain shadow detection to shaded areas. This paper aims to analyze the potential for terrain shadow detection to make a terrain shadow mask for South and North Korea. To detect terrain shadows, we used a Hill-shade algorithm that utilizes the position of the sun and a surface's derivatives, such as slope and aspect. Using RapidEye images with a spatial resolution of 5 meters and Sentinel-2 images with a spatial resolution of 10 meters over the Korean Peninsula, the optimal threshold for shadow determination was confirmed by comparing them with the ground truth. The optimal threshold was used to perform terrain shadow detection, and the results were analyzed. As a qualitative result, it was confirmed that the shape was similar to the ground truth as a whole. In addition, it was confirmed that most of the F1 scores were between 0.8 and 0.94 for all images tested. Based on the results of this study, it was confirmed that automatic terrain shadow detection was well performed throughout the Korean Peninsula.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
• /
• v.39 no.4
• /
• pp.425-440
• /
• 2023

Monitoring water surface has become one of the most prominent areas of research in addressing environmental challenges.Accurate and automated detection of watersurface in remote sensing imagesis crucial for disaster prevention, urban planning, and water resource management, particularly for a country where water plays a vital role in human life. However, achieving precise detection poses challenges. Previous studies have explored different approaches,such as analyzing water indexes, like normalized difference water index (NDWI) derived from satellite imagery's visible or infrared bands and using k-means clustering analysis to identify land cover patterns and segment regions based on similar attributes. Nonetheless, challenges persist, notably distinguishing between waterspectralsignatures and cloud shadow or terrain shadow. In thisstudy, our objective is to enhance the precision of water surface detection by constructing a comprehensive water database (DB) using existing digital and land cover maps. This database serves as an initial assumption for automated water index analysis. We utilized 1:5,000 and 1:25,000 digital maps of Korea to extract water surface, specifically rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. Additionally, the 1:50,000 and 1:5,000 land cover maps of Korea aided in the extraction process. Our research demonstrates the effectiveness of utilizing a water DB product as our first approach for efficient water surface extraction from satellite images, complemented by our second and third approachesinvolving NDWI analysis and k-means analysis. The image segmentation and binary mask methods were employed for image analysis during the water extraction process. To evaluate the accuracy of our approach, we conducted two assessments using reference and ground truth data that we made during this research. Visual interpretation involved comparing our results with the global surface water (GSW) mask 60 m resolution, revealing significant improvements in quality and resolution. Additionally, accuracy assessment measures, including an overall accuracy of 90% and kappa values exceeding 0.8, further support the efficacy of our methodology. In conclusion, thisstudy'sresults demonstrate enhanced extraction quality and resolution. Through comprehensive assessment, our approach proves effective in achieving high accuracy in delineating watersurfaces from satellite images.