Fujitsu's Hyperspectral Imaging Analysis Contributes to Biodiversity Conservation

Fujitsu Ltd., a major producer of communication and information processing systems, and Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. announced on July 15th, 2011, that they have improved an existing analytical method for aerial hyperspectral images, allowing the successful differentiation of tree species of similar coloring, such as Japanese cypress and cedar trees.

This new method enables even non-experts to precisely identify vegetation species without on-the-ground surveys of dry riverbeds or forests. This makes it possible to quickly and inexpensively study the extent of proliferation of invasive alien species.

Unlike conventional methods, in which one reference spectrum is made per species, the new method prepares multiple reference spectra for each tree species under varying irradiation conditions. By comparing these with aerial hyperspectral images, similar tree species can now be distinguished with high precision.

Because the new method utilizes aerial photos and can accurately distinguish alien and native species, as well as visualize tree species distribution in a forest quickly and at low cost, it is expected to be applied in various fields in the future, including the preparation of vegetation maps of inaccessible areas and the accurate estimation of carbon dioxide absorption of forests comprising species with different absorption rates.

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Posted: 2011/11/03 06:00:15 AM