This document summarizes a study that used Landsat-5 TM satellite imagery to detect changes in forest areas caused by a large wildfire in Los Angeles, California in 2009. The methodology used the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and both unsupervised and supervised image classification techniques to analyze imagery from before and after the fire. Change detection analysis between 2007 and 2009 clearly identified locations affected by the forest fire and showed that multi-spectral Landsat data can effectively delineate forest fire impacts.

1. Change Detection of Forest
Fire in Los Angeles, California;
Using Landsat-5 TM Satellite
Imagery
By
Parthipan s

2. Outline
 Introduction
 Study area and data used
 Methodology
 Results
 Limitation
 Conclusion
 References

3. Introduction
 Forest fire is a frequent and constant natural disaster in California, USA
 The Station Fire (26 August -16 October, 160,577acres (251sqmi; 64,983ha)
 209 structures destroyed, including 89 homes
 Two fire fighters were killed on 30August
 The blaze threatened 12,000 structures in the National Forest and the nearby
communities

4. Study Area

5. Data Used
 Landsat-5 TM image of October, 2007 and Landsat5 TM image of October, 2009
 with 0% cloud
 Landsat-5Thematic Mapper(TM), from USGS Landsatachieve
 5 bands excluding band 6 and band 7.

6. Landsat5 TM Imagery Image

7. Methodology

8. Methodology continue
 Clip target area for before and after fire both the 2007 and 2009 Image
 Normalized Difference in Vegetation Index (NDVI)
 Supervised Classification
 Unsupervised Classification
 Extraction of Forest
 Change Detection
 Final output

9. NDVI For Both Images (2007+2009)

10. Unsupervised Classification

11. Supervised Classification

13. Perform Change Detection
 Change detection is a process that measures how the attributes of a particular area
have changed between two or more time periods
 Year ‘07 and ’08 extracted forest area as input file

16. Result
The Los Angles forest fire has occurred in
September, 2009.
Using NDVI clearly showed the real land cover in
the Los Angels forest area and showed the areas
affected by fire.
Results of image classification and change
detection show very clearly the location affected
by forest fire
Multi spectral Landsatdata can be used for
delineating the forest fires

17. Reference

18. Thank you