Integration of LiDAR and QuickBird imagery for mapping riparian biophysical parameters and land cover types in Australian tropical savannas

Riparian zones are exposed to increasing pressures because of disturbance from agricultural and urban expansion and overgrazing. Accurate and cost-effective mapping of riparian environments is important for baseline inventories and monitoring and managing their functions associated with water quality, biodiversity, and wildlife habitats. In this study, we integrate remotely sensed light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data and high spatial resolution satellite imagery (QuickBird-2) to estimate riparian biophysical parameters and land cover types in the Fitzroy catchment in Queensland, Australia. An object based image analysis (OBIA) was adopted for the study. A digital terrain model (DTM), a tree canopy model (TCM) and a plant projective cover (PPC) map were first derived from the LiDAR data. A map of the streambed was then produced using the DTM information. Finally, all the LiDAR-derived biophysical map products and the QuickBird image bands were combined in an OBIA to (1) map the following land cover types: riparian vegetation, streambed, bare ground, woodlands and rangelands; (2) determine the distribution of overhang vegetation within the streambed; and (3) measure the width of both the riparian zone and the streambed. The combined use of both datasets allowed accurate land cover mapping, with an overall accuracy of 85.6%. The estimated widths of the riparian zone and the streambed showed strong correlation with the actual field measurements (r = 0.82 and 0.98 respectively). Our results show that the combined use of LiDAR and high spatial resolution imagery can potentially be used for the assessment of the riparian condition in a tropical savanna woodland riparian environment. This work also shows the capacity of OBIA to assist in the assessment of the composition of the riparian environment from multiple image datasets.