A Convolutional Neural Network Model with Weighted Combination of Multi-scale Spatial Features for Crop Classification

초록

This paper proposes an advanced crop classification model that combines a procedure for weighted combination of spatial features extracted from multi-scale input images with a conventional convolutional neural network (CNN) structure. The proposed model first extracts spatial features from patches with different sizes in convolution layers, and then assigns different weights to the extracted spatial features by considering feature-specific importance using squeeze-and-excitation block sets. The novelty of the model lies in its ability to extract spatial features useful for classification and account for their relative importance. A case study of crop classification with multi-temporal Landsat-8 OLI images in Illinois, USA was carried out to evaluate the classification performance of the proposed model. The impact of patch sizes on crop classification was first assessed in a single-patch model to find useful patch sizes. The classification performance of the proposed model was then compared with those of conventional two CNN models including the single-patch model and a multi-patch model without considering feature-specific weights. From the results of comparison experiments, the proposed model could alleviate misclassification patterns by considering the spatial characteristics of different crops in the study area, achieving the best classification accuracy compared to the other models. Based on the case study results, the proposed model, which can account for the relative importance of spatial features, would be effectively applied to classification of objects with different spatial characteristics, as well as crops. © 2019 Korean Society of Remote Sensing. All rights reserved.

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