Fuzzy rule based approaches for cloud cover estimation using Meteosat 5 images

A fuzzy rule based cloud classification scheme is proposed to estimate the cloud cover using Meteosat 5 visible imagery over the Indian subcontinent and the Indian Ocean. The technique, which is a supervised one, automatically finds out some human understandable rules (fuzzy rules) for classifying each pixel into one of the three possible classes: clear sky, cloudy sky and partially cloudy sky. In this regard, temporal and spatial properties of the data are being explored. The scheme is tested on images other than the training image(s) and the performance is found to be quite satisfactory.