Application of the Reed-Solomon Algorithm as a Remote Sensing Data Fusion Tool for Land Use Studies

Abstract

The Reed-Solomon algorithm is well known in different fields of computer science. The novelty of this study lies in the different interpretation of the algorithm itself and its scope of application for remote sensing, especially at the preparatory stage, i.e., data fusion. A short review of the attempts to use different data fusion approaches in geospatial technologies explains the possible usage of the algorithm. The rationale behind its application for data fusion is to include all possible information from all acquired spectral bands, assuming that complete composite information in the form of one compound image will improve both the quality of visualization and some aspects of further quantitative and qualitative analyses. The concept arose from an empirical, heuristic combination of geographic information systems (GIS), map algebra, and two-dimensional cellular automata. The challenges are related to handling big quantitative data sets and the awareness that these numbers are in fact descriptors of a real-world multidimensional view. An empirical case study makes it easier to understand the operationalization of the Reed-Solomon algorithm for land use studies.