Segment-Based Clustering of Hyperspectral Images Using Tree-Based Data Partitioning Structures

Abstract

Hyperspectral image classification has been increasingly used in the field of remote sensing. In this study, a new clustering framework for large-scale hyperspectral image (HSI) classification is proposed. The proposed four-step classification scheme explores how to effectively use the global spectral information and local spatial structure of hyperspectral data for HSI classification. Initially, multidimensional Watershed is used for pre-segmentation. Region-based hierarchical hyperspectral image segmentation is based on the construction of Binary partition trees (BPT). Each segmented region is modeled while using first-order parametric modelling, which is then followed by a region merging stage using HSI regional spectral properties in order to obtain a BPT representation. The tree is then pruned to obtain a more compact representation. In addition, principal component analysis (PCA) is utilized for HSI feature extraction, so that the extracted features are further incorporated into the BPT. Finally, an efficient variant of k-means clustering algorithm, called filtering algorithm, is deployed on the created BPT structure, producing the final cluster map. The proposed method is tested over eight publicly available hyperspectral scenes with ground truth data and it is further compared with other clustering frameworks. The extensive experimental analysis demonstrates the efficacy of the proposed method.