Remote Sensing: Moedverloren 208


Explanations for ETM-subsets

What kind of information is displayed?

This image is a subset of a Landsat 7 ETM+ image, covering a size of about 30 km by 25 km, which was acquired during the rainy season. It is visualized as a so-called false colour composite. On the Red, Green and Blue channels the spectral bands 4: NIR (near Infrared), 5: MIR1 (Mid Infrared 1) and 3: visible red of the Landsat ETM+ sensor are displayed (RGB: 4-5-3).This band combination suits best for a detailed visualization of different land cover properties. Due to that, the displayed colours are not natural.

Details

 Info

In the displayed image the BIOTA observatory is given as a dotted rectangular box of 1km x 1km extension. 

 View Observatory

Moedverloren 

 WRS2 Path-Row

176-82 

 Acquisition Date

26.10.2000 

 Image Details

Whereas the vegetation in this region is of considered density at many areas (greenish colours), the vegetation cover at the Farm Moedverlore (engl.: Lost courage), where the observatory is situated, is very sparse (bright blue to white). This is partly due to unfavourable site conditions with high content of quartz gravel in this South-Western part of the Knersvlakte in combination with long term unsustainable land use practices which degraded this weak ecosystem. Red patches along the river bed in the South-West indicate intense crop cultures. 

In general, the colours refer to the following land cover types:

  • Dark Blue: Water bodies, dams and lakes without Algae.

  • Light Blue: in populated places mainly buildings, outside of towns mainly rocks, and very sparsely vegetated soils.

  • Red: Very dense and vital vegetation like bush thickets, forests or planted fields, in towns: gardens.

  • Green: "middle dense" or less vital vegetation, like grass savanna (light green) and dry bush (dark green).

  • White: bare soil or sparsely vegetated areas, independently from the natural soil colour, also gravel roads and pads.

  • Intermediate colours are representing mixed pixels with information of several land cover types.

E-Mail to Manfred Keil (subproject leader)