A simple smoother based on continuous wavelet transform: Comparative evaluation based on the fidelity, smoothness and efficiency in phenological estimation

• Simple smoother with few parameters based on CWT.
• Evaluation based on both fidelity and smoothness.
• A new measurement of phenological estimation efficiency.
• WS and SCWT smoothers outperformed others.
• Estimated phenological dates varied with smoothing methods.

This study proposed a simple Smoother without any local adjustments based on Continuous Wavelet Transform (SCWT). And then it evaluated its performance together with other commonly applied techniques in phenological estimation. These noise reduction methods included Savitzky–Golay filter (SG), Double Logistic function (DL), Asymmetric Gaussian function (AG), Whittaker Smoother (WS) and Harmonic Analysis of Time-Series (HANTS). They were evaluated based on fidelity and smoothness, and their efficiencies in deriving phenological parameters through the inflexion point-based method with the 8-day composite Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) 2-band Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI2) in 2013 in China. The following conclusions were drawn: (1) The SG method exhibited strong fidelity, but weak smoothness and spatial continuity. (2) The HANTS method had very robust smoothness but weak fidelity. (3) The AG and DL methods performed weakly for vegetation with more than one growth cycle (i.e., multiple crops). (4) The WS and SCWT smoothers outperformed others with combined considerations of fidelity and smoothness, and consistent phenological patterns (correlation coefficients greater than 0.8 except evergreen broadleaf forests (0.68)). (5) Compared with WS methods, the SCWT smoother was capable in preservation of real local minima and maxima with fewer inflexions. (6) Large discrepancy was examined from the estimated phenological dates with SG and HANTS methods, particularly in evergreen forests and multiple cropping regions (the absolute mean deviation rates were 6.2–17.5 days and correlation coefficients less than 0.34 for estimated start dates).

Figure optionsDownload high-quality image (173 K)Download as PowerPoint slide