Exploring optimal integration schemes for Sentinel-1 SAR and Sentinel-2 multispectral data in land cover mapping across different atmospheric conditions

Integrating remote sensing data, such as Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and Sentinel-2 multispectral data, can provide valuable insights for this task. However, in tropical regions, such as Yogyakarta, Indonesia, atmospheric interference from cloud cover and haze can result in spectral confusion and decreased usability of multispectral data, leading to reduced classifier accuracy. This study investigates the impact of integrating Sentinel-1 SAR and Sentinel-2 multispectral data and their derivatives on land cover mapping in part of Yogyakarta under hazy and clear atmospheric conditions. This study employed four Schemes: (1) using only SAR data and its derivatives, (2) using only multispectral data and its derivatives, (3) combining SAR, multispectral, and their derivatives, and (4) combining SAR, multispectral, and their derivatives with feature selection using Recursive Feature Elimination. The XGBoost classification algorithm tuned using Bayesian optimization was used for classification, and the accuracy and efficiency (processing time) of each Scheme were evaluated. The results showed that integrating SAR data and optical data with clear and hazy condition increased the accuracy by 4 (clear) to 14.58 (hazy). The integration of SAR and optical data had the highest accuracy (79.58 on hazy imagery and 84.58 on clear imagery) but longer processing time. However, the feature selection conducted in decreased model complexity and processing time, with a reduction in processing time of 78.74 on hazy imagery and 49.89 as compared to utilizing the full SAR and optical data variables. Lastly, the McNemar test concluded the significance of integrating SAR data for mapping land cover, especially with hazy optical data. © 2024 Elsevier B.V.