Canopy Cover Estimation in Lowland Forest in South Sumatera, Using LiDAR and Landsat 8 OLI imagery

Canopy cover is one of the most important variables in ecology, hydrology, and forest management, and useful as a basis for defining forests. LiDAR is an active remote sensing method that provides the height information of an object in three-dimensional space. The method allows for the mapping of terrain, canopy height and cover. Its only setback is that it has to be integrated with Landsat to cover a large area. The main objective of this study is to generate the canopy cover estimation model using Landsat 8 OLI and LiDAR. Landsat 8 OLI vegetation indices and LiDAR-derived canopy cover estimation, through First Return Canopy Index (FRCI) method, were used to obtain a regression model. The performance of this model was then assessed using correlation, aggregate deviation, and raster display. Lastly, the best canopy cover estimation was obtained using equation, FRCI = 2.22 + 5.63Ln(NDVI), with R-2 at 0.663, standard deviation at 0.161, correlation between actual and predicted value at 0.663, aggregate deviation at -0.182 and error at 56.10%.