Vegetation health conditions assessment and mapping using AVIRIS-NG hyperspectral and field spectroscopy data for -environmental impact assessment in coal mining sites

This paper focuses on vegetation health conditions (VHC) assessment and mapping using high resolution airborne hyperspectral AVIRIS-NG imagery and validated with field spectroscopy-based vegetation spectral data. It also quantified the effect of mining on vegetation health for geo-environmental impact assessment at a fine level scale. In this study, we have developed and modified vegetation indices (VIs) based model for VHC assessment and mapping in coal mining sites. We have used thirty narrow banded VIs based on the statistical measurement for suitable VIs identification. The highest Pearson's r, R2, lowest RMSE, and P values indices have been used for VIs combined pixels analysis. The highest different (Healthy vs. unhealthy) vegetation combination index (VCI) has been selected for VHC assessment and mapping. We have also compared VIs model-based VHC results to ENVI (software) forest health tool and Spectral-based SAM classification results. The 1st VCI result showed the highest difference (72.07%) from other VCI. The AUC values of the ROC curve have shown a better fit for the VIs model (0.79) than Spectral classification (0.74), and ENVI FHT (0.68) based on VHC results. The VHC results showed that unhealthy vegetation classes are located at low distances from mine sites, and healthy vegetation classes are situated at high distances. It is also seen that there is a highly significant positive relationship (R2 =0.70) between VHC classes and distance from mines. These results will provide a guideline for geo-environmental impact assessment in coal mining sites. [Display omitted] •This study assesses vegetation health conditions by modified VIs model at a fine level scale.•This modified VIs model has been developed based on vegetation combined pixel analysis.•Modified VIs model has shown better accuracy than Spectral classification and ENVI forest health tool.•It also quantified the effect of mining on vegetation health and environmental in coal mining sites.•This work also establishment a new relationship between vegetation health classes and average distance from mines.