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Project Title: Google Applications for Transitioning Everglades Regions (GATER)
Purpose and Description of Innovation/Software
This code collection is for use within Google Earth Engine API (GEE), an open-source software. The purpose is to improve the efficiency of analyzing multiple Landsat images by removing clouds using the FMask band in order to produce land cover maps of the Everglades National Park. Due to the complexity and limitations of GEE, clouds were removed from each image, aggregated to produce a cloud-free image for each year, and then exported as an asset. These assets could then be imported into a new code editor within GEE for improved processing speed of land cover, accuracy assessment, and area calculations.
Sentinel-2: Multispectral Instrument (MSI), Level-1C images were also used to create a higher resolution land cover analysis for the year 2016. Clouds were removed by creating a threshold using the QA60 band. Values less than 1024 were considered cloud-free and removed and then aggregated with other scenes to produce one image. Cloud-free Sentinel-2a image was also exported as an asset and then imported into a new code editor with GEE for analysis.
The dry season for each study period (1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2016) were used for the classification analysis. Validation was performed by using 90% of the training samples for classification and the remaining 10% for testing. Training samples can be drawn directly within the GEE interface and then used for classification.
Resulting output maps can all be displayed easily on the interface and each map layer can be toggled on or off. Lastly, maps can be exported onto a Google Cloud and downloaded as a .tif file for use in ArcGIS or other supporting software.
Documentation and references
Google Earth Engine API: https://earthengine.google.com/ Google Earth Engine online tutorial and guide: https://developers.google.com/earth-engine/getstarted
Code Details
The software includes embedded computer databases as it uses imagery from USGS and Copernicus stored data and with open-source software: Google Earth Engine API.
Link to the GEE Code Editor for cloud removal of Landsat 5 TM, Landsat 7 ETM+, and Landsat 8 OLI: https://code.earthengine.google.com/af4119a14512f546ab86d03024b9ea42 Link to the GEE Code Editor for cloud removal of Sentinel-2a: https://code.earthengine.google.com/d6534d261c8409549fb0d826379cb066
Cloud Mask Properties for Images
fmask : cloud mask pixel identification for Landsat Series 0 = clear 1 = water 2 = cloud shadow 3 = snow 4 = cloud
Sentinel-2 : QA60 - bit mask band with cloud mask information. Bit 10 is set if the corresponding 60m pixel has been marked as OPAQUE. Bit 11 is set it the corresponding 60m pixel has been marked as CIRRUS. Values less than 1024 are considered 'Cloud-free'.
Link to the GEE Code editor for the year 1995: https://code.earthengine.google.com/32f25afabcbd20dd3a20ca954bf13b16 Link to the GEE Code editor for the year 2000: https://code.earthengine.google.com/3edcc855a5942a5bf7f971e94fbd37c8 Link to the GEE Code editor for the year 2005: https://code.earthengine.google.com/d9ac3ad890a70be7f778a9a2342dd26e Link to the GEE Code editor for the year 2010: https://code.earthengine.google.com/a495ce8ced84d8a25fe17097307798dc Link to the GEE Code editor for the year 2015: https://code.earthengine.google.com/d296f6b244ba4fab66bba81ac235e5d4 Link to the GEE Code editor for the year 2016: https://code.earthengine.google.com/e3fae5ad11bb9e6fecd04a705d041bc5
GEE allows for the use of vector data through kml files and upladed as fusion tables. The fusion tables used in this code contain the Everglades National Park Boundary layer, the Generalized Random Tesselation Stratified (GRTS) sampling grids, and the GRTS boundary. Fusion tables can be called using the ee.FeatureCollection('ft:') fuction and inserting the unique id provided by the Google Fusion Table Application.
Classifications are as follows:
0 - Water 1 - Mangrove Forest 2 - Freshwater Marsh 3 - Saltwater Marsh/sawgrass Prairie 4 - Shrub/Scrub 5 - Bare Ground/Developed
Innovators and Contributions
All innovations performed at DEVELOP National Program, NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA. 23681
- Amy Wolfe- Co-lead Software Developer
- Caitlin Toner- Co-lead Software Developer
- Donnie Kirk- Project Manager
- Rachel Cabosky- Contributor, Software Testing