Dan G Blumberg | Ben Gurion University of the Negev (original) (raw)
Papers by Dan G Blumberg
There is a wide agreement among researchers and professionals that the use of geographic informat... more There is a wide agreement among researchers and professionals that the use of geographic information systems and remote sensing methodologies can contribute significantly to a better understanding of human interactions in space and the environment and to a well-suited planning. Two related reasons can make the use of geographic information methods attractive in human geography: (i) the ability to compile multi-layer data and conduct quantitative analysis with rich data sets of built environments that are dynamic by nature; and (ii) the cost-effective manner that these methods bring to planning processes. This special issue of Geography Research Forum includes innovative papers by contributors from around the globe which cover both the conceptual and applied aspects of the use of GIS and remote sensing in human geography.
ABSTRACT Climate change and drought frequency is a major concern in the Middle East. A significan... more ABSTRACT Climate change and drought frequency is a major concern in the Middle East. A significant lack of surface data is apparent. Remotely sensed images have the capability of providing regional scale information and containing historical data. While the literature is abundant with many models for extracting energy balance and surface data from imagery few studies integrate the various images and necessary parameters for energy-balance studies. For this study we synergize multi-platform and multi-spectral data using Landsat and Spot data for mapping vegetation and albedo, ERS-1 and 2 for mapping aerodynamic roughness and soil water-content. Soil types are taken from existing soil survey maps corrected by the use of multi-spectral classification. Higher resolution, airborne data are used for focused studies such as the use of a P-band scatterometer to characterize the wetting and drying components of specific soils, and high resolution SAR to characterize the loss of water from agricultural fields. This study is accompanied by an extensive effort to provide well calibrated ground truth supporting data. The ground data include TDR measurements of soil water-content and salinity extracted from the dielectric properties. The soil was further classified to types including the physical and chemical properties and surface roughness. Ultra-spectral measurements using an ASDI spectrometer from 350-2500nm were conducted for monitoring crop water stress. The studies are focused on seasonal variations and extreme climate changes, i.e., very wet and extreme drought conditions. Overall, we have preliminary results demonstrating the capability to map the aerodynamic properties, vegetation extent, and the changes in water content. For example, we find that in the small Mashash watershed the water content decreases from 20 to 4%. Vegetation, another important energy-balance parameter was mapped using the WDVI method with Landsat TM and Spot data together with soil information from an existing GIS database on soils. Irrigated fields provided the highest biomass index and open Loessy soils with natural vegetation provided the lowest seasonal dependence. The results are being used to map the spatio-temporal variability of the energy balance in the semi-arid zone.
with mixtures of backgrounds in a sliding window anomaly
2017 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS), 2017
When performing point target detection in hyperspectral imagery, one often uses the spectral inve... more When performing point target detection in hyperspectral imagery, one often uses the spectral inverse covariance matrix to whiten the natural noise of the image. Since the cube is not necessarily stationary, we wish to understand when segmentation is worthwhile to provide different covariance matrices for different areas of the cube. Using simulations and several new analytical tools, we propose general guidelines for when segmentation is useful.
Ecological Studies, 2008
ABSTRACT The coastal plain of the northern Sinai Peninsula is a structural depression that border... more ABSTRACT The coastal plain of the northern Sinai Peninsula is a structural depression that borders several anticline mountains in the south. This coastal plain is covered by a dunefield in a wide area of 20–l80 km from north to south, and for 260 km from the Nile Delta in the west into the northern Negev Desert, where it terminates south of Beer Sheva (Fig. 3.1). The dunefield covers an area of about 12,000 km2. The Sinai and Negev form one geographical unit subdivided artificially by a political border. The dunefield is located in the northern boundary region of the Eastern Sahara subtropical desert, characterized by a long, hot and dry summer and a cool winter with a mean annual rainfall that is below 200 mm. The political border between the Negev and Sinai has generated two distinctly different landscapes that can be delineated from space-based imagery. The Sinai side of the border tends to be bright and is constituted of bare sand dunes, whereas the Negev side is dark and constituted of vegetated dunes. This political border has thus created a bio-physical border caused by two distinctly different types of land use – grazing and wood-gathering activities in the Sinai, in contrast to almost no human-induced pressure in the Negev (Tsoar, Chap. 6, this volume). The Negev dunefield is triangular in shape, tapering eastwards because of the northern Negev anticline system that stretches from southwest to northeast and delimits the dunes in the southeast, and because of the storm winds blowing in this direction. The anticline of Har Keren is illustrated above the dunefield in Fig.3.1.
<p>Recurring Slope Lineae (RSL) are dynamic, low-albedo, slope-parallel sur... more <p>Recurring Slope Lineae (RSL) are dynamic, low-albedo, slope-parallel surface features on Mars that occur mainly on steep (>25°) slopes. RSL typically display seasonal dynamics as they appear during late Martian spring, progressively grow during summer, and subsequently fade as summer ends. RSL formation mechanisms remain under debate with proposed mechanisms involving either water/brines (‘wet theories’) vs. dry granular flows within a surficial dust layer (‘dry theories’). In an attempt to distinguish between plausible RSL mechanisms, this study compares the topographic and morphologic characteristics of hillslopes with and without RSL. We suggest that a distinct topographic signature for RSL hillslopes would argue against the ‘dry’ RSL mechanisms, as RSL dynamics within a thin dust layer are not expected to significantly impact the hillslope-scale topography. In contrast, the presence of fluids on RSL hillslopes could conceivably accelerate rock weathering rates, which in turn may impact the hillslope-scale topography. Our analyses are based on HiRISE, CTX and HRSC digital terrain models (DTMs) together with geomorphic mapping using high-resolution orbital images. We focus on inner crater hillslopes and compare the topographic characteristics of RSL vs. non-RSL slopes. In addition, in order to account for the potential influence of aspect-dependent solar irradiation on hillslope processes, we also applied our analysis on adjacent ‘control’ craters that are devoid of RSL activity. Preliminary results from Palikir (-41.6°/ 202.1°E) and Rauna (35.2°/ 328°E) craters reveal that the topographic slope distribution along crater walls with RSL activity is distinct from the slope distribution along crater walls which are devoid of RSL activity. Our results appear to support increased rock-weathering rates on crater walls that presently experience RSL activity.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
Remote Sensing of Environment, 2017
Remote Sensing of Environment, 2016
IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium
This paper presents a study that was conducted using ERS SAR archived images to assess the soil w... more This paper presents a study that was conducted using ERS SAR archived images to assess the soil water-content of open desert areas containing two different soil types (loess and sand). For this purpose we used the different look directions model proposed by Blumberg and Freilikher. The results show that the soil moisture predictions are almost equal to those known as
IGARSS 2000. IEEE 2000 International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium. Taking the Pulse of the Planet: The Role of Remote Sensing in Managing the Environment. Proceedings (Cat. No.00CH37120)
ABSTRACT If the presence of a buried reflecting plane would enhance or reduce the radar response ... more ABSTRACT If the presence of a buried reflecting plane would enhance or reduce the radar response from a rough interface, still remains not completely understood. Real experiments with airborne ground-penetrating radar are so expensive and complicated that a comprehensive experimental study of microwave scattering from various underground targets in controlled conditions is practically impossible. Under these circumstances optical modeling of microwave scattering processes could take on great significance. Its validity is based on the fact that, according to the general theory of similarity in electrodynamics, all solutions of a wave equation for different frequencies are identical if the geometric and electrodynamic parameters are re-scaled in such a way that all ratios ai/λ (ai are characteristic geometrical sizes, λ the wavelength) and the complex dielectric constant remains the same. The authors present two optical models of microwave remote sensing processes: (i) scattering from a plane perfectly reflecting object buried in a soil with rough surface, (ii) reflection from soils with different moisture contents
Image and Signal Processing for Remote Sensing XXIII, 2017
During the past years, several compressive spectral imaging techniques were developed. With these... more During the past years, several compressive spectral imaging techniques were developed. With these techniques, an optically compressed version of the spectral datacube is captured. Consequently, the information about the object and targets is captured in a lower dimensional space. A question that rises is whether the reduction of the captured space affects the target detection performance. The answer to this question depends on the compressive spectral imaging technique employed. In most compressive spectral imaging techniques, the target detection performance is deteriorated. We show that our recently introduced technique, dubbed Compressive Sensing Miniature Ultra-Spectral Imaging (CSMUSI), yields similar target detection and false detection rates to that of conventional hyperspectral cameras.
In this paper, we test anomaly change detection algorithms in hyperspectral images. Focusing on d... more In this paper, we test anomaly change detection algorithms in hyperspectral images. Focusing on difference-based algorithms, our goal is to optimize performance using new methods that utilize the spatial and statistical characteristics of the images. These methods increase the probability of detection while minimizing false alarms. The algorithms are tested on the hyperspectral images of the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT).
Remote Sensing of Environment, 2019
There is a wide agreement among researchers and professionals that the use of geographic informat... more There is a wide agreement among researchers and professionals that the use of geographic information systems and remote sensing methodologies can contribute significantly to a better understanding of human interactions in space and the environment and to a well-suited planning. Two related reasons can make the use of geographic information methods attractive in human geography: (i) the ability to compile multi-layer data and conduct quantitative analysis with rich data sets of built environments that are dynamic by nature; and (ii) the cost-effective manner that these methods bring to planning processes. This special issue of Geography Research Forum includes innovative papers by contributors from around the globe which cover both the conceptual and applied aspects of the use of GIS and remote sensing in human geography.
ABSTRACT Climate change and drought frequency is a major concern in the Middle East. A significan... more ABSTRACT Climate change and drought frequency is a major concern in the Middle East. A significant lack of surface data is apparent. Remotely sensed images have the capability of providing regional scale information and containing historical data. While the literature is abundant with many models for extracting energy balance and surface data from imagery few studies integrate the various images and necessary parameters for energy-balance studies. For this study we synergize multi-platform and multi-spectral data using Landsat and Spot data for mapping vegetation and albedo, ERS-1 and 2 for mapping aerodynamic roughness and soil water-content. Soil types are taken from existing soil survey maps corrected by the use of multi-spectral classification. Higher resolution, airborne data are used for focused studies such as the use of a P-band scatterometer to characterize the wetting and drying components of specific soils, and high resolution SAR to characterize the loss of water from agricultural fields. This study is accompanied by an extensive effort to provide well calibrated ground truth supporting data. The ground data include TDR measurements of soil water-content and salinity extracted from the dielectric properties. The soil was further classified to types including the physical and chemical properties and surface roughness. Ultra-spectral measurements using an ASDI spectrometer from 350-2500nm were conducted for monitoring crop water stress. The studies are focused on seasonal variations and extreme climate changes, i.e., very wet and extreme drought conditions. Overall, we have preliminary results demonstrating the capability to map the aerodynamic properties, vegetation extent, and the changes in water content. For example, we find that in the small Mashash watershed the water content decreases from 20 to 4%. Vegetation, another important energy-balance parameter was mapped using the WDVI method with Landsat TM and Spot data together with soil information from an existing GIS database on soils. Irrigated fields provided the highest biomass index and open Loessy soils with natural vegetation provided the lowest seasonal dependence. The results are being used to map the spatio-temporal variability of the energy balance in the semi-arid zone.
with mixtures of backgrounds in a sliding window anomaly
2017 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS), 2017
When performing point target detection in hyperspectral imagery, one often uses the spectral inve... more When performing point target detection in hyperspectral imagery, one often uses the spectral inverse covariance matrix to whiten the natural noise of the image. Since the cube is not necessarily stationary, we wish to understand when segmentation is worthwhile to provide different covariance matrices for different areas of the cube. Using simulations and several new analytical tools, we propose general guidelines for when segmentation is useful.
Ecological Studies, 2008
ABSTRACT The coastal plain of the northern Sinai Peninsula is a structural depression that border... more ABSTRACT The coastal plain of the northern Sinai Peninsula is a structural depression that borders several anticline mountains in the south. This coastal plain is covered by a dunefield in a wide area of 20–l80 km from north to south, and for 260 km from the Nile Delta in the west into the northern Negev Desert, where it terminates south of Beer Sheva (Fig. 3.1). The dunefield covers an area of about 12,000 km2. The Sinai and Negev form one geographical unit subdivided artificially by a political border. The dunefield is located in the northern boundary region of the Eastern Sahara subtropical desert, characterized by a long, hot and dry summer and a cool winter with a mean annual rainfall that is below 200 mm. The political border between the Negev and Sinai has generated two distinctly different landscapes that can be delineated from space-based imagery. The Sinai side of the border tends to be bright and is constituted of bare sand dunes, whereas the Negev side is dark and constituted of vegetated dunes. This political border has thus created a bio-physical border caused by two distinctly different types of land use – grazing and wood-gathering activities in the Sinai, in contrast to almost no human-induced pressure in the Negev (Tsoar, Chap. 6, this volume). The Negev dunefield is triangular in shape, tapering eastwards because of the northern Negev anticline system that stretches from southwest to northeast and delimits the dunes in the southeast, and because of the storm winds blowing in this direction. The anticline of Har Keren is illustrated above the dunefield in Fig.3.1.
<p>Recurring Slope Lineae (RSL) are dynamic, low-albedo, slope-parallel sur... more <p>Recurring Slope Lineae (RSL) are dynamic, low-albedo, slope-parallel surface features on Mars that occur mainly on steep (>25°) slopes. RSL typically display seasonal dynamics as they appear during late Martian spring, progressively grow during summer, and subsequently fade as summer ends. RSL formation mechanisms remain under debate with proposed mechanisms involving either water/brines (‘wet theories’) vs. dry granular flows within a surficial dust layer (‘dry theories’). In an attempt to distinguish between plausible RSL mechanisms, this study compares the topographic and morphologic characteristics of hillslopes with and without RSL. We suggest that a distinct topographic signature for RSL hillslopes would argue against the ‘dry’ RSL mechanisms, as RSL dynamics within a thin dust layer are not expected to significantly impact the hillslope-scale topography. In contrast, the presence of fluids on RSL hillslopes could conceivably accelerate rock weathering rates, which in turn may impact the hillslope-scale topography. Our analyses are based on HiRISE, CTX and HRSC digital terrain models (DTMs) together with geomorphic mapping using high-resolution orbital images. We focus on inner crater hillslopes and compare the topographic characteristics of RSL vs. non-RSL slopes. In addition, in order to account for the potential influence of aspect-dependent solar irradiation on hillslope processes, we also applied our analysis on adjacent ‘control’ craters that are devoid of RSL activity. Preliminary results from Palikir (-41.6°/ 202.1°E) and Rauna (35.2°/ 328°E) craters reveal that the topographic slope distribution along crater walls with RSL activity is distinct from the slope distribution along crater walls which are devoid of RSL activity. Our results appear to support increased rock-weathering rates on crater walls that presently experience RSL activity.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
Remote Sensing of Environment, 2017
Remote Sensing of Environment, 2016
IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium
This paper presents a study that was conducted using ERS SAR archived images to assess the soil w... more This paper presents a study that was conducted using ERS SAR archived images to assess the soil water-content of open desert areas containing two different soil types (loess and sand). For this purpose we used the different look directions model proposed by Blumberg and Freilikher. The results show that the soil moisture predictions are almost equal to those known as
IGARSS 2000. IEEE 2000 International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium. Taking the Pulse of the Planet: The Role of Remote Sensing in Managing the Environment. Proceedings (Cat. No.00CH37120)
ABSTRACT If the presence of a buried reflecting plane would enhance or reduce the radar response ... more ABSTRACT If the presence of a buried reflecting plane would enhance or reduce the radar response from a rough interface, still remains not completely understood. Real experiments with airborne ground-penetrating radar are so expensive and complicated that a comprehensive experimental study of microwave scattering from various underground targets in controlled conditions is practically impossible. Under these circumstances optical modeling of microwave scattering processes could take on great significance. Its validity is based on the fact that, according to the general theory of similarity in electrodynamics, all solutions of a wave equation for different frequencies are identical if the geometric and electrodynamic parameters are re-scaled in such a way that all ratios ai/λ (ai are characteristic geometrical sizes, λ the wavelength) and the complex dielectric constant remains the same. The authors present two optical models of microwave remote sensing processes: (i) scattering from a plane perfectly reflecting object buried in a soil with rough surface, (ii) reflection from soils with different moisture contents
Image and Signal Processing for Remote Sensing XXIII, 2017
During the past years, several compressive spectral imaging techniques were developed. With these... more During the past years, several compressive spectral imaging techniques were developed. With these techniques, an optically compressed version of the spectral datacube is captured. Consequently, the information about the object and targets is captured in a lower dimensional space. A question that rises is whether the reduction of the captured space affects the target detection performance. The answer to this question depends on the compressive spectral imaging technique employed. In most compressive spectral imaging techniques, the target detection performance is deteriorated. We show that our recently introduced technique, dubbed Compressive Sensing Miniature Ultra-Spectral Imaging (CSMUSI), yields similar target detection and false detection rates to that of conventional hyperspectral cameras.
In this paper, we test anomaly change detection algorithms in hyperspectral images. Focusing on d... more In this paper, we test anomaly change detection algorithms in hyperspectral images. Focusing on difference-based algorithms, our goal is to optimize performance using new methods that utilize the spatial and statistical characteristics of the images. These methods increase the probability of detection while minimizing false alarms. The algorithms are tested on the hyperspectral images of the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT).
Remote Sensing of Environment, 2019