Coral Reef Mapping Using High Spatial Resolution Satellite Imagery (Quickbird) At Redang Island Marine Park, Terengganu, Malaysia

Abstract

Coral reefs are among the most diverse ecosystems on the earth, but most of the world reefs are highly susceptible to degradation due to anthropogenic activities and climate change. Coral reef benthic communities are mosaic of several bottom types that are distinguishable by their optical spectral reflectance characteristic allows effective identification and mapping using the technologies of remote sensing. Therefore, in- situ radiometric measurement play an important role in bridging the gap between field and remotely sensed data in the improving the accuracy of remote sensing. Briefly, this study is aimed to determine the in-situ benthic hyperspectral reflectance and then examine their characteristic and separability. Additionally to evaluate the performance of density slice and maximum likelihood algorithm for coral reef classification and developed a baseline map.