Image Indexing for Nearshore Restoration

Morgan McKenzie and Dan Allen

Geog 469

Project Goals• Create an Image Data Index Model • For nearshore restoration ecologists– Provide search tool for research time

saving– Images show important landscape

attributes: shore forms, watersheds, vegetation, structures, etc

– Index provides way to find scientific research question desired attributes

Background• Puget Sound Nearshore Restoration Project,

Research group• Client: Miles Logsdon, Restoration Ecologist– Also Matt Parsons of UW Libraries and WAGDA

• Implement restoration projects and monitor their success/failures to improve

• Examples of restoration projects: – Remove bulkheads, plant overhanging vegetation

Index of Images for Restoration

• See potential areas of restoration• Monitor areas with implemented

restoration project• Potential Scientific Research

Questions include:–How much vegetation?– Depositional or erosional shoreline?– Shoreline before/after a structure

removal?– Shoreline before/after an event?

Data Process Diagram

Download image from

WAGDA

Process images

(manually or with image processing software)

Analyze Attributes (such as %

overhanging veg, aquatic, veg, shorline length, etc)

Data Entry

For PSNRP analyze

geomorphic objects, woody

debris, % of beach armored

Project Results• Created a image data index model

database• Discovered which attributes were

important and why• Made database searchable by

attributes

Image Database

Image database

ID#NameDate

ResolutionSource

ID#Bulkhead

Over water

structure%Armored

ID#Woody Debris# of Clusters

% overhanging Vegetation

Aquatic vegetation

ID#LocationLatitude

LongitudeProjection

ID#Spit

EmbaymentErosion

DepositsWatershed

ID#Beach Length

IMAGE Structures Vegetation

Bch LengthGeomorphicObjects

Location

Conclusions• Indexing images for a specific use is

difficult because of the large unique set of content

• Completing the data entry is a huge undertaking

• Once past the data entry phase, potential for long term time saving use

• Image data index model can be used over and over again for new data