Application of Hyperion Data to Agricultural Land Classification and Vegetation Properties Estimation in Switzerland

On August 18, 2002, the Hyperion hyperspectral imager onboard the EO-1 platform recorded data over an intensively used agricultural area in north western Switzerland, the Limpach Valley. The sensor’s 198 spectral bands between 400 and 2500 nm (Level 1B1) and a spatial resolution of 30 m bear the potential for both a detailed land use classification and an accurate estimation of biophysical and biochemical properties of heterogeneously vegetated areas. This study evaluates the potential of HYPERION data for land use classification and vegetation properties estimation (e.g., LAI) in a typical Swiss agricultural environment with its small-spaced fields. A Spectral Angle Mapper approach and a multi-scale object-oriented method are applied for agricultural land use determination. The results show, that the phenological stages of the cultivars are the main factors influencing the separability of agricultural classes and therefore determining the accuracies of the methods applied.