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Division 2 Database Technology Development Lab
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The lab estimates the amount of vegetation from satellites, based on the 3D structure of forests and the way they reflect light.
AboutAbout the lab
Reading the shape of a forest from satellite light
The lab of Lecturer Kajiwara studies how to estimate vegetation biophysical variables over wide areas using observation data from optical sensors on satellites.
For plants with large 3D structures, such as forests, the intensity of the observed reflected light changes in complex ways depending on the angles of the sun and the satellite and on the three-dimensional structure of the forest.
The lab's research therefore centers on modeling the relationship between the 3D structure of trees and their reflectance characteristics, and linking that relationship to vegetation biophysical variables.
The lab also uses laser scanning instruments to measure the three-dimensional structure of actual forests.
Key terms
- Vegetation biophysical variables
- Numerical expressions of the amount and state of vegetation, such as aboveground biomass and leaf area index
- Leaf area index
- A value showing how much leaf area is layered over a given area of ground
- Reflectance characteristics
- The property describing in which directions and how much the light that hits an object is reflected back. In forests, it changes with the 3D structure
ResearchResearch themes
The lab aims to estimate vegetation biophysical variables, such as aboveground biomass and leaf area index, from data from satellite optical sensors that can observe the whole Earth at high frequency. It investigates the relationship between the 3D structure of forests and their reflectance characteristics through both simulations and measurements of actual forests.
*Illustrative imageModeling the 3D Structure of Forests and Light Reflection
Methods that use vegetation indices have been used to estimate vegetation biophysical variables for a relatively long time, but no general method has been established for targets with large 3D structures, such as forests. The lab models the relationship between the 3D structure of trees and their reflectance characteristics, and is developing a simulator that calculates the reflectance characteristics of forests.
*Illustrative imageMeasuring Forests with Low-Cost Laser Scanning
Measuring the diameter and height of trees requires a great deal of manual labor, and laser scanning instruments are still expensive and not widely used in forest management. The lab is developing a measurement system based on simple, low-cost instruments and building a method for acquiring the 3D structure of forests.
MembersFaculty
- LecturerKoji Kajiwara
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Nyungwe rahvuspark Landsat 19jul86” Earth Observatory / Public domain (cropped)
- Modeling the 3D Structure of Forests and Light Reflection: “Dülmen, Kirchspiel, Bauerschaft Börnste” Dietmar Rabich / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Measuring Forests with Low-Cost Laser Scanning: “Rilievo con laser scanner 3” DaddabboA / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Higuchi Lab): “North America from low orbiting satellite Suomi NPP” NASA/NOAA/GSFC/Suomi NPP/VIIRS/Norman Kuring / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Saitoh Lab): “Artifacts at Tsukuba Space Center Space Dome exhibition hall 9” Syced / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Kotsuki-Okazaki Lab): “Tracking a Superstorm ( )” NASA Goddard Space Flight Center from Greenbelt, MD, USA / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Division 3 Big Data Analysis Technology Development Lab): “Advanced Technology Demonstrator radar antenna array 02” NOAA / Public domain (cropped)
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