Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.3390/rs16071139
Licence creative commons licence
Title (Primary) Ecosystem Integrity Remote Sensing - Modelling and Service Tool - ESIS/Imalys
Author Selsam, P.; Bumberger, J.; Wellmann, T.; Pause, M.; Gey, R. ORCID logo ; Borg, E.; Lausch, A.
Source Titel Remote Sensing
Year 2024
Department CLE; MET
Volume 16
Issue 7
Page From art. 1139
Language englisch
Topic T5 Future Landscapes
Data and Software links https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8116370
Keywords Ecosystem Integrity; spectral traits; remote sensing; earth observation; tool; service; indicators; classification; segmentation; time series; processing platform; big data
UFZ wide themes TERENO;
Abstract One of the greatest challenges of our time is monitoring the rapid environmental changes taking place worldwide at both local and global scales. This requires easy-to-use and ready-to-implement tools and services to monitor and quantify aspects of bio- and geodiversity change and the impact of land use intensification using freely available and global remotely sensed data, and to derive remotely sensed indicators. Currently, there are no services for quantifying both raster- and vector-based indicators in a “compact tool”. Therefore, the main innovation of ESIS/Imalys is having a remote sensing (RS) tool that allows for RS data processing, data management, and continuous and discrete quantification and derivation of RS indicators in one tool. With the ESIS/Imalys project (Ecosystem Integrity Remote Sensing—Modelling and Service Tool), we try to present environmental indicators on a clearly defined and reproducible basis. The Imalys software library generates the RS indicators and remote sensing products defined for ESIS. This paper provides an overview of the functionality of the Imalys software library. An overview of the technical background of the implementation of the Imalys library, data formats and the user interfaces is given. Examples of RS-based indicators derived using the Imalys tool at pixel level and at zone level (vector level) are presented. Furthermore, the advantages and disadvantages of the Imalys tool are discussed in detail in order to better assess the value of Imalys for users and developers. The applicability of the indicators will be demonstrated through three ecological applications, namely: (1) monitoring landscape diversity, (2) monitoring landscape structure and landscape fragmentation, and (3) monitoring land use intensity and its impact on ecosystem functions. Despite the integration of large amounts of data, Imalys can run on any PC, as the processing and derivation of indicators has been greatly optimised. The Imalys source code is freely available and is hosted and maintained under an open source license. Complete documentation of all methods, functions and derived indicators can be found in the freely available Imalys manual. The user-friendliness of Imalys, despite the integration of a large amount of RS data, makes it another important tool for ecological research, modelling and application for the monitoring and derivation of ecosystem indicators from local to global scale.
Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=28867
Selsam, P., Bumberger, J., Wellmann, T., Pause, M., Gey, R., Borg, E., Lausch, A. (2024):
Ecosystem Integrity Remote Sensing - Modelling and Service Tool - ESIS/Imalys
Remote Sens. 16 (7), art. 1139 10.3390/rs16071139