Plenary 3

HYPERSPECTRAL REMOTE SENSING FOR
TROPICAL FORESTRY APPLICATIONS
Dr. Kamaruzaman Jusoff, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia


Abstract:
Forest planning and management require geospatial information about the forest resources. Most remote sensing data in the past decades rely on measured reflectance data in a few broad wavelength bands. Latest research is focused on the mapping and inventory of forest stands, determining on their quantitative parameters using reflectance spectra recorded by airborne imaging spectrometry and its analysis methods of spectral unmixing. In Malaysia, airborne hyperspectral remote sensing of forests is going to be a major application for her National Forest Inventory (NFI). Hyperspectral remote sensing can provide individual tree species information products for applications in forest inventory and for some Kyoto Protocol information products to support Malaysia’s new concept in the green sustainable environment, management and business.
Through several research and commercial projects, this plenary talk demonstrated that airborne hyperspectral sensing over the mixed hill and mountain dipterocarp, plantation and wetland forests in Malaysia can provide accurate maps of individual timber tree species. High correlations have been demonstrated between ground inventory and field spectroradiometer measurements of a mountain forest and estimates derived from UPM-TropAIR’s-AISA airborne hyperspectral sensor. Data for these experiments were gathered from such airborne sensor which has been flown over the Malaysian airspace covering mixed hill dipterocarp, mountain, plantation and wetland forests. To achieve operational accuracies of 80% or better for individual forest species classification, it is essential that the hyperspectral data are well calibrated with corrected striping, optimal spectral band combinations and spatial resolutions. This paper also reported on the current state of hyperspectral sensing applications of the Malaysian tropical natural as well as the plantation forest (Acacia mangium) and non-timber (bamboo) and presents the hyperspectral sensor specifications needed for such forest applications. In this talk, some of the speaker’s own research experiences in flying and operating the sensor with a Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) Cessna C402B fixed wing aircraft and the hyperpsectral image processing development undertaken in forestry application research and commercial projects were shared. Initially, a thorough case study of the mountain state forest park resources involving UPM’s TropAIR-AISA airborne hyperspectral imaging technology system has been undertaken by the Kelantan State Forest Department, followed by several other State Forestry Departments namely, Federal Territory and Perlis. Airborne hyperspectral remotely-sensed images of the forest surface provide an invaluable source of information about the geographical distribution of natural and cultural features, as well as a record of changes in environmental conditions over decadal time-scales of the area of interests. The talk also provides an introduction to the pre-processing and analysis of digital images collected using sensor that operates in the visible (VIS) to near-infrared (NIR) regions of the spectrum. In the remaining talk, those aspects of image processing and pattern recognition that are relevant to airborne hyperspectral sensing applications, including pre-processing, enhancement, image transforms, and filtering techniques were highlighted. An extended survey of classification and related methods, including neural networks, fuzzy classifiers and spectral unmixing forms the final part of the talk. With the aid of ground verifications, results indicated that airborne hyperspectral sensing can easily identify and provide geospatial layers for locating and mapping of timber stands inventory, easily identify individual timber species, estimate their timber volume, locate and map cultural, historical, mountain peaks., caves, waterfalls, picnic and camping sites potential and suitable for forest eco-tourism and recreational activities to be developed as a state forest park. The vegetation types, tree crown closure, over-story tree size, individual species identification and mapping, canopy structure and the timber volume for forest conservation and sustainable management purposes can be easily estimated with accuracies of more than 80%. A 10 Year Management Plan can easily be formulated to assist the state government to undertake the best strategies towards implementing programs such as forest eco-tourism, publicity, local or international events, research facilities, and infrastructure, appropriate for a best managed and sustainable mountain state forest park. In this connection, airborne hyperspectral remote sensing in Malaysia is now seen as one of the critical tools as remedial efforts that transcend quantification and mapping of individual trees in the tropical forests of Malaysia under the National Forest Inventory (NFI) Program.

Biography:
SENIOR PROFESSOR (VK6/GRADE B) UNIVERSITI PUTRA MALAYSIA
BS (Forestry), MS(Forest Engineering/Operations), PhD (Forest Engineering Survey)/Applied Remote Sensing)
A Malaysian married to Rohaita Abdul Fathel with 5 daughters. Rose up in a poor
family of seven children. Was a UPM Research Lab Head Center for Precision Agriculture & Bioresource Remote Sensing, Faculty’s Coordinator of Forest Geopsatial Information & Survey Lab, Deputy Dean (Research & Business), University Senate Member, UPM Bintulu’s Campus Director, UPM’s PALAPES Dep. Commandant, National Remote Sensing Agency (Dep. Director (R&D). Currently, Faculty’s Centre of Excellence Coordinator of Tropical Forest Airborne Observatory (TropAIR)
A leader, prominent forest engineer/surveyor, researcher and consultant in the field of forest engineering/survey, applied remote sensing/GIS, airborne and space technology (image processing/computerization). Lectures on the subjects of forest survey, forest engineering, physical principles and technology of remote sensing, quantitative remote sensing, image processing, airborne hyperspectral imaging/GIS application in earth sciences, timber transportation, forest soil, forest machineries, construction materials and forest resource assessment and analysis. Supervising and managing research students and assistants. Has supervised more than 150 BS/MS/PhD. research projects within six years (1999-2009) in the area of forest engineering, forest survey, precision agriculture/forestry, forest operations, forest harvesting, applied remote sensing/GIS/aerospace technology/airborne hyperspectral imaging and lately on leaderships. Holds various administrative duties at the international, regional and local levels such as Invited Expert Consultant on Forest Resource Monitoring, Invited Speaker at International Seminar/Workshops/Congress, International Union of Forestry Research Organization (IUFRO) Deputy Coordinator/Co Chairs in Division 3 (Forest Operation & Technologies) and Division 4 (Inventory Growth, Yield, Quantitative & Management Sciences), Member of the SAR Team for the Missing Bell 406 Long Ranger in Bario-Ba’Kelalan, Sarawak, Member of ITTO Technical Project Committee on Sustainable Forest Management, Serves as Professor’s Referee, Assoc. Professor’s External Assessor, Refereed Journal Paper Reviewer/Referees, MOSTI’s Technical Expert Panel, Article Reviewer Panel, External Assessor/Examiner Panel in Remote Sensing/GIS/GPS in forestry and agricultural research and actively involved in extra curricular/social activities such as Teacher-Parent Association (PIBG) and Regimen Askar Wataniah (RAW) Malaysia/PALAPES with a Major rank and country’s focal point for Remote Sensing/GIS/GPS in forestry and precision agriculture research. Has been awarded several Research and Travel Grants, Excellence Services, Professorial Chair, Fellowships and serve as Members/Fellows of American Biographical Institute (ABI), International Biographical Centre (IBC), and other International and local Scientific Research Associations. A consultant/technical advisor to Kelantan State Economic Development Corporation, Kelantan State Forestry Department, Sabah Foundation, Borneo Pulp and Paper, Amanah Saham Sarawak, Sarawak State Government (Forestry Corporation), Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA), Kemubu Agricultural Development Authority (KADA) and Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA), Kompleks Perkayuan Kelantan (KPK), Global Talent Sdn Bhd, TERAS Technology Sdn Bhd (PLUS Highway) & Aeroscan Precision (M) Sdn Bhd. Also serves UiTM/USM/UTM as Professorial Assessor, Host Chairs for IACSIT, International Organizing Committee Chair
for ICACTE08 & ICFCC09, ICSAP09/ICIME09/ICFCC09 Executive Editor of Macrothink Institute, WSEAS/WASET/NAUN/Sevas Editorial Board Member & Reviewer & AKEPTKPT UiTM/UPM Leadership research team member. Serves as Invited Keynote Speaker for ICATE08, ECER08, CSSR08/09, WHISPERS09 (IEEE Chapter on Image Processing) and many others. A regular invited speaker by Malaysian Institutions of Higher Education especially Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Shah Alam & state campuses, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Politeknik Kota Bharu, and International Islamic University of Malaysia.

ACADEMIC/PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS (THE BEST 3):
1.Appointed designate Professor at the age of 38 by UMS, 39 by UPM, Associate
Professor two years after PhD (1994), Confirmed to the post of lecturer within 1 year (1993) after completing a PhD in Cranfield University in 1992. Was a Post-doc with University of Dundee, Scotland under the Chevening Alumni Scholarship in 1994.
2.Awarded several Research Travel Grants, Fellowships Research Winning Medals, Erasmus Mundus Visiting Professor in ITC, The Netherlands, Lund University Sweden, University of Warsaw, Poland, University of Southampton, UK, SEARCA-SEAMEO Visiting Professor in The Philippines, Yale Visiting Professor & Kyoto University Visiting Scientist.
3.Established the first Registered Company, Aeroscan Precision (M) Sdn Bhd in Lebuh Silikon, UPM in 2004 dealing with airborne remote sensing/GIS, Image Processing, IT for different applications as a result of satellite based sensing research from MOSTI’s IRPA Grants in 6th. 7th. & 8th.Malaysian Plan

ACADEMIC PUBLICATIONS
Has published more than 50 Citation Index/Impact Factor Journals in 2008 & 60 over Citation Index/Impact Factor Journals as per February 2009 with a total of more than 300 journal papers to-date. 2.Has written 5 books while in Yale University (2008) where 2 have been published in 2008 & 2009, respectively and 3 in press.
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