Coastal and marine habitat mapping for the straits of Malacca using spot and Landsat data

The Straits of Malacca has rich biodiversity, but it experienced a dramatic decline due to the anthropogenic activities for economical development and natural disasters. The objective of this study was to generate the coastal and marine habitat map for the Straits of Malacca using the SPOT and Landsat data acquired at low tide in 2010 ~ 2012. Images were first processed with atmospheric and geometric correction. The hierarchical unsupervised classification and contextual editing were then used to produce the final habitat map. The WorldView2 and GeoEye data were also used for evaluating purposes in some studied area. Our classification scheme included sandy beach, mangrove forest, mud /sand flat, seagrass /algae, coral reefs, water and others. The produced habitat map provides the most up to date habitat information in the Straits of Malacca and will aid for the regional coastal ecosystems assessment as well as for future comparative study.