Combined use of expert knowledge and earth observation data for the land cover mapping of an Italian grassland area: An EODHaM system application

The aim of this paper is the development of an algorithm, based on expert knowledge, for the Land cover classification of an Italian Grassland Area. To accomplish this task, a dataset composed by 4 Worldiew-2 (WV-2) images, at 2 m of spatial resolution, has been considered. Despite their poor spectral resolution, Very High spatial Resolution (VHR) data allow the identification of individual objects by means of the information in the relationship between adjacent pixels, including texture and shape. For this reason a Geographic Object-Based Image Analysis (GEOBIA) approach consisting in a rule set based on the elicitation of expert rules concerning phenology, spatial features and agricultural practices in conjugation with prior spectral knowledge, has been used. The study area, of almost 500 kmq, is located in Southern Italy (Puglia Region) within the Natura 2000 “Alta Murgia” site (SCI/SPA IT9120007, according to Habitat Directive 92/43 and Bird Directive 147/2009), partly designated as a National Park as from 2004. Semi-natural dry grasslands cover almost 24% of the total area of the site which represent one of the most important areas for the conservation of this kind of ecosystems in Europe.