Minimizing labeling ambiguity during classification process of the geological units covering the central part of the Suez Canal Corridor, Egypt using their radar scattering response

Deriving information about the geometrical and dielectrical characteristics of objects using optical and radar satellite sensors is valuable for delineating and classifying surficial sediments. In the present study, unsupervised and supervised classifications of the Landsat-8 and the full-polarimetric Radarsat-2 data were used to map the different geological units and to reduce labeling ambiguity during classification processes. The study covers the central part of the Suez Canal Corridor in northeast Egypt. The full-polarimetric Radarsat-2 image was decomposed, filtered and geo-referenced to extract the scattering response of the different land cover and geological units covering the study area. In addition, polarimetric target decomposition and Wishart unsupervised classification with 5 classes were performed. The extracted polarization signatures show significant correlation with the obtained classes in terms of their geometrical (surface roughness) and dielectrical (mineral composition) characteristics. These characteristics are related to physical properties and to some extent, to the grain size and degree of weathering. The results show that the integration between the radar scattering responses and the optical reflectance information of the classified land cover and rock units is appropriate for precise objects discrimination.