Object-Based Building Change Detection from a Single Multispectral Image and Pre-Existing Geospatial Information

Abstract

Abstract Multispectral images of very high spatial resolution and vector data from geospatial databases, such as cadastral maps, are among the cost-effective and broadly available geodata in urban environments. Therefore, we aim to address building change detection based on pre-existing building footprint information and a single very high resolution multispectral image. An object-based classification methodology was developed that employs advanced scalespace filtering, unsupervised clustering, and knowledge-based classification. The developed framework effectively integrates prior vector data and multispectral observations, through incorporating the prior knowledge into the training process and defining the proper object-based classification rules. The methodology successfully identified important building changes, which were validated by employing the vector information of a building geodatabase and a QuickBird image acquired in 2003 and 2007, respectively, over urban regions in the city of Thessaloniki, Greece. The performed quantitative and qualitative evaluation indicated that the proposed analysis framework can detect the new buildings with high accuracy rates and, to a lesser degree, their exact shape and size.