Remote sensing and GIS-based techniques for the classification and monitoring of biotopes: Case examples for a wet grass- and moor land area in Northern Germany

This paper presents a case study for the application of integrated remote sensing and GIS data for the classification and monitoring of biotopes and habitats in a wet grass- and moor land area in a sub regional scale. The study covers the techniques for a detailed biotope classification, the use of object-based methods for base classification and monitoring, as well as the integration with the existing federal biotope- and land use mapping of Schleswig-Holstein in Northern Germany. Dual-date Landsat TM images from spring and summer and IRS-1C data are used for classification, pre-existing floristic vegetation maps as training data. Twenty two wet grass- and moor land vegetation types were separated by the detailed classification. The object-based classification was successfully applied in order to identify hot spots for an update of the biotope register. The results are evaluated using the federal biotope mapping, aerial photographs and detailed floristic mappings at the site ecological scale.