New approaches to the use of lacunarity analysis to characterize canopy spatial heterogeneity

Geoffrey M Henebry, South Dakota State University, geoffrey.henebry@sdstate.edu (Presenting)
Valeriy Kovalskyy, South Dakota State University, valeriy.kovalskyy@sdstate.edu

DESDynI (or comparable active sensor mission) will provide the potential for characterizing the dynamics of ecosystem structure in landscapes dominated by herbaceous as well as woody species and in wetlands, croplands, grasslands, and shrublands. There is significant value in the analysis of SAR image time series: (1) to detect radiometrically persistent features; (2) to characterize the seasonalities of backscattering and how they relate to the land surface phenologies revealed by passive (and eventually active) optical methods; and (3) to establish baseline expectations from which to assess the magnitude and significance of change, disturbance, or unusual events for habitat monitoring and biodiversity modeling. As lacunarity analyses are well-suited to spatio-temporal characterization of both radar and lidar data, there is high synergistic potential for application to DESDynI data.