Effects of landscape characteristics on land-cover class accuracy

The effects of patch size and land-cover heterogeneity on classification accuracy were evaluated using reference data collected for the National Land-Cover Data (NLCD) set accuracy assessment. Logistic regression models quantified the relationship between classification accuracy and these landscape variables for each land-cover class at both the Anderson Levels I and II classification schemes employed in the NLCD. The general relationships were consistent, with the odds of correctly classifying a pixel increasing as patch size increased and decreasing as heterogeneity increased. Specific characteristics of these relationships, however, showed considerable diversity among the various classes. Odds ratios are reported to document these relationships. Interaction between the two landscape variables was not a significant influence on classification accuracy, indicating that the effect of heterogeneity was not impacted by the sample being in a small or large patch. Landscape variables remained significant predictors of class-specific accuracy even when adjusted for regional differences in the mapping and assessment processes or landscape characteristics. The land-cover class-specific analyses provide insight into sources of classification error and a capacity for predicting error based on a pixel's mapped land-cover class, patch size and surrounding land-cover heterogeneity. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.