A multiple classifier approach for spectral-spatial classification of hyperspectral data

A new multiple classifier method for spectral-spatial classification of hyperspectral images is proposed. Several classifiers are used independently to classify an image. For every pixel, if all the classifiers have assigned this pixel to the same class, the pixel is kept as a marker, i.e., a seed of the spatial region, with the corresponding class label. We propose to use spectral-spatial classifiers at the preliminary step of the marker selection procedure, each of them combining the results of a pixel-wise classification and a segmentation map. Different segmentation approaches lead to different classification results. Furthermore, a minimum spanning forest is built, where each tree is rooted on a classification-driven marker and forms a region in the spectral-spatial classification map. Experimental results are presented on a 103-band ROSIS image of the University of Pavia, Italy. The proposed method significantly improves classification accuracies, when compared to previously proposed classification techniques.