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This work proposes a new method to classify multi-spectral satellite images based on multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) and compares this classification system with the more common parallelepiped and maximum likelihood (ML) methods. We apply the classification methods to the land cover classification of a test zone located in southwestern Spain. The basis of the MARS method and its associated procedures are explained in detail, and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) is compared for the three methods. The results show that the MARS method provides better results than the parallelepiped method in all cases, and it provides better results than the maximum likelihood method in 13 cases out of 17. These results demonstrate that the MARS method can be used in isolation or in combination with other methods to improve the accuracy of soil cover classification. The improvement is statistically significant according to the Wilcoxon signed rank test.

Mapping land cover with high accuracy has become a reality with the application of current remote sensing techniques. Due to the specific spectral response of the vegetation, soil and vegetation indices are adequate tools to help in the discrimination of land uses. Additionally, the accuracy of satellite imagery classification can be improved using multitemporal series combined with LiDAR data. This datafusion takes advantage of the information provided by LiDAR for the vegetation cover density, and the capability of multispectral data to detect the type of vegetation. The main goal of this study is to analyze the accuracy enhancement in land cover classification of two forested watersheds when using datafusion of annual time series of Sentinel-2 images complemented with low density LiDAR. The obtained results show that overall accuracy is better if LiDAR data is included in the classification. This improvement can be a significant issue in land cover classification of forest watershed due to relationship and influence that vegetation cover has on runoff estimation.

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