The IdePix Tool

Summary

The IdePix pixel classification tool provides a classification of pixels with respect to their underlying attributes, e.g. if the pixel is regarded as cloudy, as a snow or ice pixel, etc. Since separate algorithms are applied for the classification over water and land, the tool is also divided into user interfaces for water and land. Supported products are MERIS L1b for classification over water, and both MERIS and SPOT-VGT L1b for classification over land.

User Interfaces

The IdePix Tool can be invoked from the VISAT tool menu by selecting the IDEPIX Generic classification of pixels... entry, or in batch mode by using the command line tool gpt (Graph Processing Tool) which is located in the BEAM bin directory.

Algorithms

The IdePix tool for water pixel classification was developed in the frame of the ESA DUE project 'CoastColour' [1], and the ESA OceanColour CCI project [2]. The classification is mainly based on the algorithms described in [3], chapter 5.

The IdePix tool for land pixel classification was developed in the frame of the ESA DUE project 'GlobAlbedo' [5], and the ESA LandCover CCI project [7]. The classification is mainly based on the algorithm used for GlobAlbedo as described in [6]. Please note: In the ESA LandCover CCI project, further cloud screening steps which do not fit into IdePix are applied a posteriori, such as temporal cloud filters in Level 3 computations (see [8] for more details).


References

[1] CoastColour Project Web Site: www.coastcolour.org

[2] OceanColour Project Web Site: www.esa-oceancolour-cci.org

[3] Bourg, L. (2009): MERIS Level 2 Detailed Processing Model. ACRI-ST, Document No. PO-TN-MEL-GS-0006, 15 July 2009.

[4] BEAM Spectral Unmixing Tool Help Documentation: www.brockmann-consult.de/beam/doc/help/unmixing/SpectralUnmixingTool.html

[5] GlobAlbedo Project Web Site: http://globalbedo.org

[6] GlobAlbedo ATBD 'Pixel Classification'. Version 4.1, 26 June 2012.

[7] LandCover Project Web Site: www.esa-landcover-cci.org

[8] LandCover CCI ATBD. Version 1.0, 28 June 2012.

[9] Farr, T. G., et al. (2007), The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, Rev. Geophys., 45, RG2004, doi:10.1029/2005RG000183.