Sampling designs for accuracy assessment of land cover

Abstract

The accuracy of a land cover classification is the degree to which the map land cover agrees with the reference land cover classification (i.e. ground condition). The basic sampling designs historically implemented for map accuracy assessment have served well for the error matrix based analyses traditionally used. But contemporary applications of land cover maps place greater demands on accuracy assessment, and sampling designs must be constructed to target objectives such as accuracy of land cover composition and landscape pattern. Sampling designs differ in their suitability to achieve different objectives, and trade-offs among desirable sampling design criteria must be recognized and accommodated when selecting a design. An overview is presented of the sampling designs used in accuracy assessment, and the status of these designs is appraised for meeting current needs. Sampling design features that facilitate multiple-objective accuracy assessments are described.

Acknowledgments

The anonymous reviewers are thanked for comments that improved the manuscript. James Wickham reviewed an early draft of the manuscript and provided many helpful suggestions along with additional references. David Selkowitz provided figure 1. This article expands upon a paper presented at the 2008 International Symposium on Spatial Accuracy in the Natural Resources, held in Shanghai. The United States Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center and SUNY ESF provided travel funds for my conference attendance. I would like to thank Dr Jingxiong Zhang and the conference organizing and scientific committees for a highly productive week of sessions and discussions.