SEEKING THE TRUTH IN KATHMANDU - FIELDWORK AS AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT IN REMOTE-SENSING STUDIES

Remote sensing data are a valuable source of information about conditi ons at or near the surface of the Earth if their interpretation truly reflects those conditions. One of the best ways to promote representat ive classifications is to gain first hand experience of ground conditi ons. Attempts to measure urban growth in Kathmandu improved significan tly following a field trip to the city. Ground truth data were collect ed for accuracy assessments, spectrally confusing features were identi fied, and the urban land-use class was defined more appropriately in t erms of Nepalese land-use patterns, rather than from the perspective o f suburban Northern Virginia.