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SUMMARY This article discusses the theory of boundary making, including a process driven methodological model. It is a result of a long term practice and study covering wide diversity of topics: from political and technical to stages of... more
SUMMARY This article discusses the theory of boundary making, including a process driven methodological model. It is a result of a long term practice and study covering wide diversity of topics: from political and technical to stages of precise documentation and boundary maintenance. In this article precise boundary definitions are discussed in light of existing theoretical research, and the order
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ABSTRACT
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Research Interests: Computer Vision, Image Processing, Remote Sensing, Neural Networks, Neural Network, and 13 moreIsrael, Artificial Neural Networks, Image Classification, Ir, Change detection, Feature Extraction, Infrared, Backpropagation, Data Preprocessing, Neural Net, Remote Sensing (Hyperspectral and Multispectral), Artificial Neural Network, and Application Software
A new technique utilizing combination of feature extraction by change vector analysis and analysis of distances between features allows improvement in change detection of linear features such as roads and water channels. The technique... more
A new technique utilizing combination of feature extraction by change vector analysis and analysis of distances between features allows improvement in change detection of linear features such as roads and water channels. The technique reduces false detection of changes due to image calibration differences, illumination differences and misregistration. The method was applied to areas of steep climatic gradient between Mediterranean
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I. INTRODUCTION Unsupervised clustering plays a most significant role in numerous applications of image processing and remote sensing. For example, unsupervised clustering is often used to ultimately classify an area of interest to land... more
I. INTRODUCTION Unsupervised clustering plays a most significant role in numerous applications of image processing and remote sensing. For example, unsupervised clustering is often used to ultimately classify an area of interest to land cover categories. The approach is ...
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Research Interests: Remote Sensing, Information Extraction, Signal Analysis, Wavelet Analysis, Image Classification, and 12 moreWavelet Transforms, Frequency, Feature Extraction, Shape, Wavelet Decomposition, Vegetation, Hyperspectral Imaging, Surface Structure, Hyperspectral, Reflectivity, Hyperspectral Imagery, and Hyperspectral Sensors
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Research Interests: Geography, Remote Sensing, Differential Equations, Israel, Seasonal variation, and 9 moreInformation Content, Spatial Variation, Remote Monitoring, Reflectivity, Remote Sensing (Hyperspectral and Multispectral), Geographic Information Systems, Herbaceous plants, Transition Zone, and Natural Vegetation
ABSTRACT This paper describes the relationship between urban road network density and urban runoff coefficient in the coastal plain of Israel. The study assessed 30 years of recorded changes in rainfall-runoff coefficient in an urban... more
ABSTRACT This paper describes the relationship between urban road network density and urban runoff coefficient in the coastal plain of Israel. The study assessed 30 years of recorded changes in rainfall-runoff coefficient in an urban catchment in the coastal plain of Israel. Rain and runoff were measured and sampled at measurement stations. Insight into the factors affecting urban runoff was gained by applying GIS and remote-sensing analysis, including street network density assessment and urban impermeable area recognition. Street network density was found to be a reliable indicator for both urban impermeability (R = 0.83) and runoff (R = 0.92) change dynamics, showing a strong linear correlation. Thus the urban street drainage network can help explain the dynamics of change in urban runoff. To prevent urban flooding hazards, and to help conserve water resources, regional planners should take into consideration road network density in built-up areas.
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... 45:15-27 (1993) Roughness-Reflectance Relationship of Bare Desert Terrain: An Empirical StudyMaxim Shoshany Department of Geography, Bar Ilan University, Ramat ... Each location was sampled at four Site 7 Site 8 different sun zenith... more
... 45:15-27 (1993) Roughness-Reflectance Relationship of Bare Desert Terrain: An Empirical StudyMaxim Shoshany Department of Geography, Bar Ilan University, Ramat ... Each location was sampled at four Site 7 Site 8 different sun zenith and azimuth angles, for a total i of 60 ...
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... 200411. Netondo, GW, Onyango, JC and Beck, E. 2004. Sorghum and salinity: II. ... 200519. Skupin, J., Noël, S., Wuttke, MW, Gottwald, M., Bovensmann, H., Weber, M. and Burrows, JP 2005. Sciamachy solar irradiance observation in the... more
... 200411. Netondo, GW, Onyango, JC and Beck, E. 2004. Sorghum and salinity: II. ... 200519. Skupin, J., Noël, S., Wuttke, MW, Gottwald, M., Bovensmann, H., Weber, M. and Burrows, JP 2005. Sciamachy solar irradiance observation in the spectral range from 240 to 2380 nm. ...
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Mediterrranean regions are characterized by high spatiotemporal heterogeneity of vegetation patterns. Understanding the dynamic nature of these environments requires detailed data for wide regions regarding changes in their phyto-ecology,... more
Mediterrranean regions are characterized by high spatiotemporal heterogeneity of vegetation patterns. Understanding the dynamic nature of these environments requires detailed data for wide regions regarding changes in their phyto-ecology, biomass and productivity. This article assesses the current status of satellite remote sensing in this field of application. Mapping the five main life-forms (physiognomic classes) in Mediterranean regions (forests, woodlands, scrub, dwarf shrubs and herbaceous growth) has attracted major attention in recent years. Methodologies developed for this purpose are based on the spectral, temporal and spatial (textural) information domains provided by satellite data. Wide regional vegetation mapping was achieved using phenological classification of vegetation indices derived mainly from NOAA AVHRR images. More detailed mapping was conducted with multispectral techniques in local areas using mainly Landsat TM images. Assessments of multispectral and multi-...
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Research Interests: Geology and Sedimentary
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ABSTRACT Agricultural land degradation is a global problem that severely hampers the production of food needed to sustain the growing world population. Mapping of soil degradation by remote sensing is instrumental for understanding the... more
ABSTRACT Agricultural land degradation is a global problem that severely hampers the production of food needed to sustain the growing world population. Mapping of soil degradation by remote sensing is instrumental for understanding the spatial extent and rate of this problem. Methods aimed at detecting soil loss, soil drying, and soil-quality deterioration have been demonstrated in numerous studies utilizing passive and active remote sensors. This review presents a short description of each form of soil degradation, including data regarding known extents and rates, and then reviews the methods with respect to direct and indirect modelling approaches. Two types of obstacles to achieving wide regional detection of soil degradation are revealed. The first concerns the complex and non-unique relationships between remote-sensing indicators and different soil properties, such as roughness, soil moisture SM, soil salinity, and organic matter content. The second concerns the difficulties involved in acquiring data on subsurface soil properties. In view of these difficulties, we recommend expanding the use of phenomenological models capable of estimating soil-degradation potential according to combinations of environmental conditions, thus enabling remote-sensing efforts to be focused on local areas where the environmental threat is highest. The second avenue for improving the contribution of remote sensing on a wide regional scale involves the application of integrative methods, such as those based on hyperspectral, multisensory, and multitemporal approaches, as well as those that incorporate environmental information such as topography, soil types, and precipitation.
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A simple model was developed to allow the determination of the bidirectional reflectance distribution function along the Sun's azimuthai plane for surfaces with roughness described by a repetition or microstructures. A... more
A simple model was developed to allow the determination of the bidirectional reflectance distribution function along the Sun's azimuthai plane for surfaces with roughness described by a repetition or microstructures. A modular surface unit is utilized representing a wide range of microstructures. The simulation is based on equations accounting for the shadowing and obstruction geometries which determine the reflectance properties
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The question whether the Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) has a one-to-one correspondence with the surface microstructure is addressed. A technique is developed to simulate a wide range of microelements and their... more
The question whether the Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) has a one-to-one correspondence with the surface microstructure is addressed. A technique is developed to simulate a wide range of microelements and their BRDF. Results from the simulation show a significant number of cases of equifinality in which a variety of microstructures exhibit the same BRDF. Analysis of these cases suggests
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In complex terrain, secondary reflection from neighbouring surfaces may contribute to the total upwelling radiance at a given location. Existing work has assessed the effect of such upwelling on the sensor using simulation models based on... more
In complex terrain, secondary reflection from neighbouring surfaces may contribute to the total upwelling radiance at a given location. Existing work has assessed the effect of such upwelling on the sensor using simulation models based on the assumption that the surfaces reflect isotropically. Over bare surfaces, this approach may lead to errors since the surface roughness with its range of
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... DOI: 10.1080/13658810601169881 Maxim Shoshany a , Asaf Even‐Paz a & Shlomo Bekhor a pages 777-797. Available online: 14 Jun 2007. ...
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Environmental management and planning are instrumental in resolving conflicts arising between societal needs for economic development on the one hand and for open green landscapes on the other hand. Allocating green corridors between... more
Environmental management and planning are instrumental in resolving conflicts arising between societal needs for economic development on the one hand and for open green landscapes on the other hand. Allocating green corridors between fragmented core green areas may provide a partial solution to these conflicts. Decisions regarding green corridor development require the assessment of alternative allocations based on multiple criteria evaluations. Analytical Hierarchy Process provides a methodology for both a structured and consistent extraction of such evaluations and for the search for consensus among experts regarding weights assigned to the different criteria. Implementing this methodology using 15 Israeli experts-landscape architects, regional planners, and geographers-revealed inherent differences in expert opinions in this field beyond professional divisions. The use of Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering allowed to identify clusters representing common decisions regarding criterion weights. Aggregating the evaluations of these clusters revealed an important dichotomy between a pragmatist approach that emphasizes the weight of statutory criteria and an ecological approach that emphasizes the role of the natural conditions in allocating green landscape corridors.
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ABSTRACT Hyperspectral images and spectroradiometer measurements were taken from cauliflower (Brassica oleracea, Botrytis group), aubergine (Solanum melongena) and kohlrabi (Brassica oleracea, Gongylodes group) plants in a controlled... more
ABSTRACT Hyperspectral images and spectroradiometer measurements were taken from cauliflower (Brassica oleracea, Botrytis group), aubergine (Solanum melongena) and kohlrabi (Brassica oleracea, Gongylodes group) plants in a controlled experiment. Plants were grown in media with sodium chloride (NaCl) concentrations between 30 and 150 mmol. Spectral and spatial processing techniques were developed to assess the ability to distinguish between plants exposed to various levels of salinity stress. Local autocorrelation analysis was used to detect the spatial patterns that characterise the effects of salinity on crop canopy. This analysis was applied on a vegetation index in the spectral range of 435-554 nm, the green indigo ratio (GIR) index. The processing strategies that were developed were able to distinguish three levels of salinity effects. The strategy based on a combined spatial-spectral index yielded the most consistent results with average total accuracy of 62%, whereas accuracies obtained with known spectral vegetation indices were 29%. The presented method may be implemented in other cases of vegetation stresses where symptoms are characterised by patchiness and can be imaged, not necessarily in the visible spectral range (400-750 nm).
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The present study examines the spatial development of the residential build area in the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo, a metropolitan core city and a world city in evolution, over the course of 30 years. We employed spatial autocorrelation model... more
The present study examines the spatial development of the residential build area in the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo, a metropolitan core city and a world city in evolution, over the course of 30 years. We employed spatial autocorrelation model in order to test the urban development of the city built-up area. The analysis presented in this paper is unique in
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A novel unmixing methodology is presented, searching for a fraction combination of end-members (EMs) that reconstructs the integrated source signal. The search starts with computing an initially estimated unmixing solution and then... more
A novel unmixing methodology is presented, searching for a fraction combination of end-members (EMs) that reconstructs the integrated source signal. The search starts with computing an initially estimated unmixing solution and then assesses combinations selected at random within an envelope surrounding this estimated solution. From each of these combinations, it then progresses iteratively along a path of neighboring combinations, so as to minimize the spectral angle between the corresponding (integrated) signatures and the source signal, until reaching a satisfactory solution. The new iterative fraction combination search (IFCS) was compared to the standard least squares unmixing (LSU). An assessment of both methods was conducted with a real Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer image and nine synthetic images generated by randomly selecting fractions for two up to ten EMs derived from this real image. Considering all these EMs for the unmixing solution (not knowing specif...
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The inaccurate estimation of the incoming solar flux density, owing to the lack of adequate representation of the surface orientation, causes the high variability of the spectral reflectance of a given surface material and, consequently,... more
The inaccurate estimation of the incoming solar flux density, owing to the lack of adequate representation of the surface orientation, causes the high variability of the spectral reflectance of a given surface material and, consequently, confusion between different materials. A new generic solution is presented in this letter, based on spectral parameterization techniques derived from wavelet analysis. Significant classification improvements
Research Interests: Signal Processing, Information Extraction, Wavelet Analysis, Image Classification, Wavelet Transforms, and 13 moreData acquisition, Geomatic Engineering, Coefficient of Variation, Wavelet Decomposition, Spectral Reflectance, Spatial structure, Hyperspectral Imagery, Sunlight, Synthetic Data Generation, Hyperspectral Image Analysis, Spectral Imaging, Electrical And Electronic Engineering, and Frequency Domain
Efficient real-time discrimination of image objects is greatly affected by their radiometry, which is only partly accounted for by image scene calibration. Such calibration treats mainly variations in flux density in the generalized... more
Efficient real-time discrimination of image objects is greatly affected by their radiometry, which is only partly accounted for by image scene calibration. Such calibration treats mainly variations in flux density in the generalized imaged scene plane rather than on the objects’ surface. The proposed methodology uses ratios between secondary parameterizations: e.g., absorption features and spectral derivatives. Clustering in the ratios’
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Research Interests: Remote Sensing, Satellite remote sensing, Seasonality, Cost effectiveness, Agricultural Production, and 12 morePopulation Growth, Landsat TM, Agricultural land use change, Knowledge base, Land Degradation, Mediterranean region, Natural Resource, Soil Type, Expert knowledge, Vegetation Cover, Unsupervised Classification, and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index
Environmental heterogeneity characterizes Mediterranean regions and zones of transition between humid and arid climates. Mapping of shrubs, dwarf shrubs, and herbaceous growth is of primary importance for understanding ecosystem function... more
Environmental heterogeneity characterizes Mediterranean regions and zones of transition between humid and arid climates. Mapping of shrubs, dwarf shrubs, and herbaceous growth is of primary importance for understanding ecosystem function in these vulnerable environments. High spatial fragmentation in these three cover types implies that they are highly mixed at spatial resolutions greater than a few meters. A new methodology is
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This study investigates the effects of slope aspect on plant community characteristics such as plant cover, species composition and above-ground biomass production in Mediterranean trees and shrubs in two climatological regions. Two... more
This study investigates the effects of slope aspect on plant community characteristics such as plant cover, species composition and above-ground biomass production in Mediterranean trees and shrubs in two climatological regions. Two experimental sites were selected in a climatic gradient that runs from the foothills of the Judean Hills to the northern Negev desert in Israel. In each site, 16
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This study investigated the variation along basipetal gradients of the relationships between the foliage/wood al- location ratios of biomass and of water content, in Mediterranean trees and shrubs, at two different locations along a... more
This study investigated the variation along basipetal gradients of the relationships between the foliage/wood al- location ratios of biomass and of water content, in Mediterranean trees and shrubs, at two different locations along a climatic gradient. Understanding of the biomass allocation and water relations in Mediterranean trees and shrubs provides useful information on growth patterns of these species, and on
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... 1997] , [Pigeon et al., 1999] , [Soh & Tsatsoulis, 1999] and [Ton et al., 1991] ), including crop monitoring ( [Adinarayana & Rama-Krishna, 1996] , [Kontoes ... Thus, it is important to know whether this complexity limits the... more
... 1997] , [Pigeon et al., 1999] , [Soh & Tsatsoulis, 1999] and [Ton et al., 1991] ), including crop monitoring ( [Adinarayana & Rama-Krishna, 1996] , [Kontoes ... Thus, it is important to know whether this complexity limits the classification accuracy and reliability of the KBS recognition. ...
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An artificial neural network (ANN) has been developed for the task of change detection in an area of high spatio-temporal heterogeneity along a climatic gradient between humid and and climate regions. Four recognition classes,... more
An artificial neural network (ANN) has been developed for the task of change detection in an area of high spatio-temporal heterogeneity along a climatic gradient between humid and and climate regions. Four recognition classes, "positive change", "negative change", "false change", and "no change" have been learned by a backpropagation ANN and then applied to Landsat images that were acquired over
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... PUA BAR (KUTIEL),a,* ODED COHEN,b AND MAXIM SHOSHANYb aDepartment of Geography and Environmental ... destruction, degeneration (Charlier and Charlier, 1995; Charlier and de Mayer, 1995; van der Meulen and ... Degen, AA, Backer, K.,... more
... PUA BAR (KUTIEL),a,* ODED COHEN,b AND MAXIM SHOSHANYb aDepartment of Geography and Environmental ... destruction, degeneration (Charlier and Charlier, 1995; Charlier and de Mayer, 1995; van der Meulen and ... Degen, AA, Backer, K., Makkar, HPS, Borowy, N. 1995 ...