Contribution of free satellite time-series images to mapping plant communities in the Mediterranean Natura 2000 site: the example of Biguglia Pond in Corse (France)
Abstract
Mapping plant communities, which is essential to assess the conservation status of natural habitats, is currently based mainly on time-consuming field surveys without the use of satellite data. However, free image time-series with high spatial and temporal resolution have been available since 2015. This study assessed the contribution of Sentinel-2 time-series images to mapping the spatial distribution of 18 plant communities within a Natura 2000 site (1978 ha) located on the Mediterranean biogeographical region (Corsica, France). The method was based on random forest modeling of six Sentinel-2 images acquired from 26 February to 24 October 2017, which were calibrated and validated using a field vegetation map. The results showed that the 18 plant communities were modeled correctly, with 72% overall accuracy. The uncertainty map associated with the model indicated areas that required additional field observations.
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Mediterranean Botany is an open access journal to promote global exchange knowledge. It facilitates unrestricted access to its contents from the moment of publication in its electronic edition. The originals published are property of the Universidad Complutense and it is mandatory to cite such source in case of total or partial reproduction. All contents are distributed under a Creative Commons License 4.0 (CC BY 4.0). This circumstance must be expressly stated in this way when necessary. You can check the informative version and legal text of the license.
