Estimation of tree crown number in a quickbird image using an image processing method.

New high resolution satellite images provide an opportunity to access information about individual trees in the tropical forest, but the accuracy and reliability of methods are unknown. The first difficulty is separating one individual tree crown from one another. In this study we tested "Mode Filter 7times7" to estimate tree crown number at a Quickbird image with 0.6 m resolution in a forest in the western Sao Paulo state,Brazil. We concluded that mode filter can be a good tool to help individualizing tree crowns in Quickbird images, but more studies are necessary to improve this technique.