Analysis and Interpretation of Spectral Indices for Soft Multicriteria Burned-Area Mapping in Mediterranean Regions

Burned-area mapping algorithms developed for satellite images often rely on the use of spectral indices for discriminating between burns and other surfaces. The choice of the most suitable index is often a difficult task because each index brings a different type of information, as well as a rate of misclassification error. Moreover, the choice may be a function of the geographical area, spectral and geometrical characteristics of satellite data, and objectives of the study. In this letter, we compare the performance of different indices computed for Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer imagery and propose a methodology for integrating them into a synthetic indicator of likelihood of burn. The methodology is based on fuzzy set theory and aims to lay the foundation for the development of a burned-area mapping algorithm in the Mediterranean environment of southern Italy.