An approach to accuracy assessment of ASTER derived mineral maps

An accuracy assessment of a classified thematic map is critical for the success of a remote sensing project. Identification and quantification of accuracy sources for classified mineral maps derived from satellite images enable confident decisions to be made for further exploration operations. Nineteen rock samples were collected from the different lithological units of hydrothermally altered Kuh Panj Cu porphyry occurrence within the south-eastern part of Iran. SPECIM hyperspectral imaging was applied on the rock samples followed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis to compare the SPECIM mineral maps. The SPECIM results were then interpreted for mineralogy and compositional mapping extracted from Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflectance Radiometer (ASTER) images. Spectral angle mapper (SAM) and Real Value-Area (RV-A) fractal methods were applied on SPECIM and ASTER images to interpret the mineralogy and derived classified map products. Two methods, including confusion matrix and one minus standard deviation over mean, were used to assess the accuracy of classified SPECIM and ASTER derived mineral maps. Performing sensitivity studies were investigated, including the effect of spatially displacing ASTER mineral mapping and changing the SAM-derived threshold values on the accuracy of the ASTER mineral map. The sensitivity analyses demonstrated that selecting an optimum SAM-derived threshold value is more important than spatial displacement. Finally, accuracy sources were summarized in an accuracy budget table. The results demonstrated 89% and 88% accuracy for SPECIM and 88% and 92% accuracy for ASTER mineral maps via the confusion matrix and one minus standard deviation over mean methods, respectively. The accuracy budget helped to evaluate and compare all sources of accuracy with their accuracy values.