Mapping land cover changes
With a decision-tree classification approach we provided land cover maps for Xayabouri Province, at a 16-day interval from 2001 to 2011. Training areas for the development of the decision tree were derived from yearly medium resolution satellite images. Using a dense time series of low resolution imagery, we then classified the land cover, which provided spatially and temporally continuous maps for the study area. By performing a classification comparison of the 252 land cover maps, we could relate the different land cover change trajectories to land use and transformation processes, revealing the areas with stable land cover, deforestation (including expansion of permanent agriculture), forest regrowth, and shifting cultivation.