Environmental assessment and monitoring with image characterization and modeling system using multiscale remote sensing data

With the rapid increase in spatial data, especially in the NASA–EOS (Earth Observing System) era, it is necessary to develop efficient and innovative tools to handle and analyze these data so that environmental conditions can be assessed and monitored. A main difficulty facing geographers and environmental scientists in environmental assessment and measurement is that spatial analytical tools are not easily accessible. We have recently developed a remote sensing/GIS software module called ICAMS (Image Characterization And Modeling System) to provide specialized spatial analytical tools for the measurement and characterization of satellite and other forms of spatial data. ICAMS runs on both the Intergraph–MGE and the Arc/Info Unix and Windows–NT platforms. The main techniques in ICAMS include fractal measurement methods, variogram analysis, spatial autocorrelation statistics, textural measures, aggregation techniques, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and delineation of land/water and vegetated/non-vegetated boundaries. In this article, we demonstrate the main applications of ICAMS on the Intergraph–MGE platform using Landsat–Thematic Mapper images from the city of Lake Charles, Louisiana. Through the availability of ICAMS to a wider scientific community, we hope to generate various studies so that improved algorithms and more reliable models for environmental assessment and monitoring can be developed. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.