Semivariogram textural classification of JERS-1 (Fuyo-1) SAR data obtained over a flooded area of the Amazon rainforest

Abstract

Classification of JERS-1 (Fuyo-1) SAR data from the rainforestcovered area of the Uaupes River (Brazil) was performed using the semivariogram textural classifier (STC). This method increased the discrimination between upland and flooded vegetation. Because the fluvial channel in the investigated site is oriented either parallel or perpendicular to radar illumination, the study resulted in better understanding of the textural signature of the double-bounce effect of microwave energy at river margins. This unique geomorphological setting provided a crucial check for a semivariogram classification approach that was previously tested farther north-east in the Amazon Basin.