Forest monitoring using time series satellite images and its applications to tropical forests

Abstract

In this article, we summarized current data processing streams of change detection algorithms using time series satellite images and their applications to tropical forests. We also discussed challenges and perspectives of forest monitoring using time series satellite images in tropical regions. Time series satellite images have been utilized to acquire detailed information about forest changes. After Landsat data became freely available, change detection algorithms using time series satellite images were developed. These developments have encouraged the employment of time series images to capture forest changes. In the case of tropical regions, frequent cloud cover and fast vegetation recovery after disturbance are the major problems when we use change detection with time series satellite images. However, developments of algorithms utilizing dense time series data or data fusion with other sensor enable us to detect forest change using time series satellite images with sufficient accuracy in tropical regions. While the forest change detection with time series satellite data has the potential to play an important role in tropical regions, there are still problems that have to be overcome such as insufficient ground data and lack of data fusion methods with other sensors.