SYNERGY OF OPTICAL AND POLARIMETRIC MICROWAVE DATA FOR FOREST RESOURCE ASSESSMENT

Data acquired during the Mac-Europe 91 campaign over the Black Forest (Germany) are used to study the synergy of optical imaging spectromete r data (AVIRIS) and polarimetric microwave data (AIRSAR) for forest re source assessment. Original and new derived bands from AIRSAR and AVIR IS data are used to predict age and biomass. The best predictors (band s) are selected through a multivariate stepwise regression analysis of each of the datasets separately. Then the joint AIRSAR-AVIRIS dataset is analysed. This study shows how the synergistic use of AIRSAR and A VIRIS data improves significantly the predictions obtained from the in dividual datasets for both age and biomass over the test site. In the analysis of AVIRIS data a new approach for processing large datasets a s those provided by imaging spectrometers is presented, so that maximu m likelihood classification of these datasets becomes feasible.