Comparison of different spatial resolution bands of SPOT 5 to plant community patch detection

The extending phenomenon of plant community patches caused by seismic exploration of Shengli Oil Field has been found in the many areas of the Yellow River Delta. Successful management of extensive areas at plant community level resolution first requires an efficient, cost-effective means of plant community classification and mapping. We evaluated the influence of different spatial resolution data on the accuracy of plant community map created from SPOT 5 satellite imagery of Gudong Oil Field in Yellow River Delta. Plant community patches were detected from SPOT 5 panchromatic band and multispectral bands based on patch shape. Detection accuracy was assessed using the visual interpretation results. Detection results created from SPOT 5 panchromatic band had higher overall accuracy (85.9%) than from multispectral bands (70.5%). Given the same detection method, high resolutions (2.5 m pixels) panchromatic band had potential to provide high detection accuracies, the SPOT 5 panchromatic band and multispectral bands were well-suited for detecting plant community patches in Gudong Oil Field and similar areas of Yellow River Delta. Practical procedures for plant community patch detection and accuracy assessment are presented for use by natural resource and environmental protection managers.