Mapping of lava flows through SPOT images an example of the Sabancaya volcano (Peru)

Abstract

SPOT XS and Panchromatic images are used jointly in order to map the lava flows of the Nevado Sabancaya volcano (southern Peru). This mapping is achieved through two types of processing: the unsupervised multispectral clustering applied to the XS image, and some specific methods of image analysis (mathematical morphology, convolution filtering) applied to the Panchromatic image. The resulting images allowed us to identify flows and the two main morphological features of the flow areas: lava reliefs and flow lines. Therefore, our experience shows that image analysis can be a tool for thematic mapping which displays more capabilities than photointerpretation.