Abstract
Image analysis of Landsat 8 imagery was completed using Exelis ENVI 5.1. Imagery from April 25, 2013, June 28, 2013, and July 14, 2013 was used for classification. Each image file was calibrated to radiance and reflectance using Radiometric Calibration and FLAASH Atmospheric Correction tools. The three image mosaics were then fused into a single image file. To reduce spatial variability for the image classification, the remnant patches polygon shapefile was used as a mask of the fused Landsat 8 image file. Two separate classifications were then carried out to delineate land cover types within the study region. One classification focused upon the agricultural matrix surrounding Palouse Prairie patches and the other focused upon the patches themselves. Overall, accuracy of the land cover classification of approximately 380,000 hectares of the Palouse Prairie was 0.64 with a Kappa of 0.59. The analysis had greater than 70% user s and producer s accuracy for the Urban/Bare Ground, Grain, and Conifer type. The analysis had less than 70% user s and producer s accuracy for the Perennial Grass type. The other cover types had either a high or low user s and producer s accuracy. For example, the Native type had a producer s accuracy of 44 % and user s accuracy of 91%. The Annual Grass type had 79 percent producer s accuracy and 45% user s accuracy.