IEEE 2007 International Symposium on Microwave, Antenna, Propagation, and EMC Technologies For Wireless Communications

Study about Classification of Multi-Spectral Remote Sensing Images

Tao Jun

(School of Mathematics and Computer Science, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, P.R.China)
Abstract: This paper presents the analogy between
extracts the essential information from the voices mixture. According to the information, the listener

recognition and multi-spectral remote sensing image classification, and introduces the Hidden Markov Model (HMM), which is a successful approach on voice recognition fields, into multi-spectral remote sensing image classification. After comparing the HMM
voice

with other conventional classification methods such as Maximum Likelihood and Minimum Distance, the paper concludes that the HMM is a better approach than other techniques do. At the end of the paper, the author explains the reason of HMM ? s good performance, and also points out its defect. Keywords: Hidden Markov Model; Multi-Spectral Remote

identify the speaker. Hidden Markov model (HMM) [1], which is well deployed in speech recognition, have simulated the hearing mechanical of brain successfully. After study the analogy between multi-spectral remote sensing image classification and brain's identification of different person's voice, this paper employs HMM into remote sensing image
could

Sensing; Suspected Classification*

1 Introduction
Before the paper beginning, let's concern the human' s understanding to voice. When some person closes his eyes, listening to one of his acquaintances' voice, he could recognize who is the speaker. Without using his eyes, how could he do that? Let's study the voice procedure, firstly, the pronunciation systems of man are different each other, and the voices of different people have distinct features. Secondly, with the different moods of speaker, the voices may have the sentiments of happiness, sadness, and anger. Thirdly, when voice is transmitted, it is mixed with noises form the environment. Finally, after the mixture of voice sent to people's ears, Listener's brain can

Supported by research fund for younger of Hubei provincial department of education. (Q200734004) Tele:027-62729254 E_mail:martintao2006@163.com
1-4244-1044-4/07/S25.00 2007 IEEE.
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classification. Every material has its own special spectral information, which varies with seasons, landform and sunlight condition. This spectral information is mixed with some kind of random noise, while it transmit through the atmosphere. Finally, the sensors on satellites catch this information and turn into remote sensing image. If there exist some approaches like speech recognize algorithm, the approaches can extract the main information from remote sensing data, and can judge material according to the information. What is the difference between multi spectral remote sensing data and voice signal? Voice signal is a one-dimension time serial signal, but remote sensing data is a two-dimension spatial signal. But the two kind signals have something in common. The voice signal's relativity to its neighbors is quite large, and in multi-spectral data, at a settled position in image, the signal in a special band has great relativity to its neighbor bands. Bands serial can be simulated to time serial voice signal, so that the HMM, which is a popular way used in speech recognition, can also be used in multi-spectral data analysis, and may have the same effect. Having the experiment idea, this paper has to introduce the HMM theory briefly.

IEEE 2007 International Symposium on Microwave, Antenna, Propagation, and EMC Technologies For Wireless Communications

2 Hidden Markov Model

bj(k) P[Ot=vk\qt=Sj]
=

(HMM)
A HMM consists of a set of hidden states and a set of observation serial. Transfers between hidden states represent some special material, and along with

1< j<N9\<k<M

and

Ot

is

the

observation at band t. 5. II, hidden states initial distribution

probability

matrix,
where ni
= =

{*,.}
be
express
as

the bands switch, the hidden state's transition from each other, as the same time, each hidden state emission random signal, the signal is called observation, which consist the remote sensing multi-spectral image. Man can not see the hidden states directly, that is to say, man can not see some special material, but can only see the observation of the material, that is to say, man can only see the spectral information. The transition among the hidden states is accord with Markov principle. A HMM consists the following elements. 1. TV: the number of hidden states. If S is the hidden
states

P[ql Si],l<i<N.
a

Finally,
X
=

HMM

can

(A,B,U).

The prior definition of HMM is discrete HMM which can be used in case of TM image, but when the data source is MODIS image, a continual HMM should be engaged. The so-called continual HMM is that the observation distribution is not probability but probability density function (PDF). The most popular used PDF is mixed Gaussian Model PDF.

set,

{bl9b29...9bN}
given bands t. T is is the length of

bi(0)

^cikN(0,uik,Uik)l<i<N
N(09 uik, Uik )
a

where

qt

S9\ <t<T

is the state

the number of bands and observation serial. 2. M: the number of different observation value. For example: for a band of TM image, the M can be 255. If V present the set of all observation, then

cik is the kth mixture coefficient when the hidden

state is at I.
mean

is a Gaussian PDF with

uik

and covariance matrix

some

Uik

For

{v19v2v..,vM}.
probability matrix. A {at j}
=

which represents
,

multi-spectral image,
A
=

material,
=

pixel's spectral
can

information be define by when

3. A\ state transfer

(A9B9n),

and X

(A9B9U9u9U9c)

where

atJ P[qt
=

Sj

qt_x

SJ,

the model is continual HMM. The different parameters of X represent different material.

\<Uj<N
0<a..
N

and
=

<l,Vfl.. l9l<i<N.
probability matrix B {b Ak)}
=

4. B: observation

where
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Using HMM to classify multi-spectral remote sensing image, two phases are processed, one is training phase another is classification phase. In training phase, training data set is sampled form the remote sensing image, and the parameters of X for each training class are trained, the results of these training are likelihood value to the training class. Firstly, the topological structure of HMM should

IEEE 2007 International Symposium on Microwave, Antenna, Propagation, and EMC Technologies For Wireless Communications

be build. In this paper, simulating speech recognition, a structure showed in fig.l is adopted. It has two hidden states, which is under the dot line, and in each hidden state there are two mixtures. For instance, TM image has 6 observations, each observation can be 0 255. The circles over the dot line represent the observation.
Observation sequence

to

get the maximum of the probability

a

P(0 A) ?
is

In this paper,

engaged.

popular algorithm called EM

Experiments

(spectrum)
CES
CH6

CHI CH2

CH3

CH4

Hidden states

Secondly, the initial values of the hidden state transfer probability and observation probability must be set. As usual, they are equal.
A
B
=

Fig 1

Hidden Markov Model Structure

element in each dimension is the value in the band. 2. Train the HMM parameter of each data set. The train process is described as follow: initialize the hidden states transfer probability matrix A, observation probability matrix B, hidden state

Multi-spectral remote sensing image classification using HMM is implemented as following: 1. Generated training data set. In fig.2(a), a 300 X 300 pixel color synthesized image, which is made up of by the bands of TM 4, 5, 6 is shown. The train sets are sampled as lake, mead, forest, city and road, each data set consists 100 sample pixels, and each pixel is a 6-dimension vector whose

"0.5 0.5"
0 1

probability nx threshold and max iterative number. EM algorithm is used to compute the
,

1/6 1/6 1/6 1/6 1/6 1/6 1/6 1/6 1/6 1/6 1/6 1/6
K,
=

[i o].
observation
sequence

Thirdly, two questions must answer.

Given

0 A

{ol9o29o39o49o59o6}
(A,B,T1)
,

and

model

how to compute the conditional

?

probability
.

P(01 A)

The

famous

forward-backward algorithm is engaged.

How to

adjust the parameters of A (A9 B, fl)

=

character of the training data. 3. Classification procedure. Compute the likelihood of each pixel in the TM image to all objective classes. These likelihood values consist the likelihood image to the classes, and normalize the images to 0-255, as shown in fig.3. Classify each pixel to the most likely class, which has the max likelihood value. Fig.3 shows all pixels' normalized likelihood value to lake, mead, forest, city and rode. The blue presents the low likelihood and red presents the high likelihood. From the figure, it can be seen that the five classes can be classified very well, especially on the
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likelihood, if the increase of next iterative likelihood is less than the threshold, or the max iterative number is reached, the algorithm ends. The final result of A, B and Tl represent the

IEEE 2007 International Symposium on Microwave, Antenna, Propagation, and EMC Technologies For Wireless Communications

lake, rode and forest. The final synthesis image is

shown in fig.2(b) whose performance is very satisfaction after compare itself to the original image.

-.

*v

(d) Minimal Distance

lt

(a) Original image

*dr?'-

Fig 2 Comparison of the Results of 3 Different Approaches

Analysis

(b) HMM

The HMM classification method employed in this paper compares with Maximum Likelihood method and minimum distance method. From the comparison, it shows that HMM is a better one. The results of the three methods are showed in fig.2. Above all, the most obvious thing is that HMM method can well identifies the road and bared rock better than the other two methods do. For the classification to forest, HMM is also better than other. To lake, HMM and Minimum Distance method perform well than Maximum Likelihood method. To city and residential area, the three methods are well efficient, and HMM get a precise result. All in all, a conclusion can be drew that HMM is a better multi-spectral remote sensing classification approach than Maximum Likelihood and Minimal Distance. The reason of better performance of HMM is that HMM is a double level stochastic process, whose transfer among hidden states and observation are random. This double level stochastic process well simulates the physical process of multi-spectral remote sensing image in real world. But the defect of HMM is the high time cost.

(c) Maximum Likelihood

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IEEE 2007 International Symposium on Microwave, Antenna, Propagation, and EMC Technologies For Wireless Communications

(a) Lake Fig 3

(e) Forest Likelihood Images of Five Classes

5 Conclusion
The paper compares the speech signal with multi-spectral data, and introduces an approach using HMM as classification algorithm. After experiment and comparison with other approach, a conclusion can be drawn that HMM is a better multi-spectral remote sensing classification approach.
Reference

(b) City

(c) Road

W Rabiner R. L., A Tutorial on Hidden Markov Models and Selected Applications in Speech Recognition, Proceedings of the IEEE, Vol.77.2 257-286 1989. [2] Baum L. E. and Sell G. R., Growth Function for Transformations on manifolds, Pac. J. Math., vol.27.2 211-227,1968. [3]. Dempster A. P. Laird N. M. and Rubin D. B., Maximum likelihood form incomplete data via the EM algorithm, J. Roy. Stat. Soc., vol.39.1 1-38, 1977.
Author Biographies
Tao

university.
(d) Mead

Jun, male, 31, Doctor, Instructor of Jianghan

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