ABSTRACT
Vegetation mapping begins with the design and development of an appropriate classification system. Vegetation is mapped for one of two basic reasons: an interest in learning about the plants themselves or an interest in learning about the physical environment in general. The classification of vegetation involves organizing the components into a series of groups having a uniformity in composition, physiognomy, and pattern of interactions among plants and between plants and the environment. Remote sensing based procedures for mapping vegetation deviate from more traditional techniques primarily in the method for delineating the types. Color infrared photography is particularly well-suited to vegetation discrimination as it is in the near infrared portion of the spectrum that vegetation is most responsive. The basic strategy for identifying vegetation types involves analyzing image-subject relationships. Both conventional and digital techniques of vegetation mapping suffer in arid and semiarid regions where cover is less than 30%.
