{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,21]],"date-time":"2026-10-21T13:23:05Z","timestamp":1792588985339,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":55,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2016,1,27]],"date-time":"2016-01-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1453852800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Remote Sensing"],"abstract":"<jats:p>In this paper, we present a new, semi-automated methodology for mapping hydromorphological indicators of rivers at a regional scale using multisource remote sensing (RS) data. This novel approach is based on the integration of spectral and topographic information within a multilevel, geographic, object-based image analysis (GEOBIA). Different segmentation levels were generated based on the two sources of Remote Sensing (RS) data, namely very-high spatial resolution, near-infrared imagery (VHR) and high-resolution LiDAR topography. At each level, different input object features were tested with Machine Learning classifiers for mapping riverscape units and in-stream mesohabitats. The GEOBIA approach proved to be a powerful tool for analyzing the river system at different levels of detail and for coupling spectral and topographic datasets, allowing for the delineation of the natural fluvial corridor with its primary riverscape units (e.g., water channel, unvegetated sediment bars, riparian densely-vegetated units, etc.) and in-stream mesohabitats with a high level of accuracy, respectively of K = 0.91 and K = 0.83. This method is flexible and can be adapted to different sources of data, with the potential to be implemented at regional scales in the future. The analyzed dataset, composed of VHR imagery and LiDAR data, is nowadays increasingly available at larger scales, notably through European Member States. At the same time, this methodology provides a tool for monitoring and characterizing the hydromorphological status of river systems continuously along the entire channel network and coherently through time, opening novel and significant perspectives to river science and management, notably for planning and targeting actions.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/rs8020097","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2016,1,28]],"date-time":"2016-01-28T10:31:20Z","timestamp":1453977080000},"page":"97","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":79,"title":["Hierarchical Object-Based Mapping of Riverscape Units and in-Stream Mesohabitats Using LiDAR and VHR Imagery"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"8","author":[{"given":"Luca","family":"Demarchi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Water Resources Unit, Via E. Fermi 2749, I-21027 Ispra, VA, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Simone","family":"Bizzi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Water Resources Unit, Via E. Fermi 2749, I-21027 Ispra, VA, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Herv\u00e9","family":"Pi\u00e9gay","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"UMR 5600 CNRS EVS, ISIG platform, University of Lyon, Site ENS de Lyon, 15 Parvis Ren\u00e9 Descartes, F-69362 Lyon, France"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2016,1,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Brierley, G.J., and Fryirs, K.A. (2005). Geomorphology and River Management: Applications of the River Styles Framework, Blackwell.","DOI":"10.1002\/9780470751367"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"96","DOI":"10.1016\/j.geomorph.2012.09.009","article-title":"A method for the assessment and analysis of the hydromorphological condition of Italian streams: The Morphological Quality Index (MQI)","volume":"180","author":"Rinaldi","year":"2013","journal-title":"Geomorphology"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1007\/s00027-015-0424-5","article-title":"A multi-scale hierarchical framework for developing understanding of river behaviour to support river management","volume":"78","author":"Gurnell","year":"2016","journal-title":"Acquat. Sci."},{"key":"ref_4","unstructured":"European Commission (2000). Directive 2000\/60\/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy. Off. J. Eur. Union, 327, 1\u201373."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Carbonneau, P.E., and Pi\u00e9gay, H. (2012). Fluvial Remote Sensing for Science and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.","DOI":"10.1002\/9781119940791"},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1867","DOI":"10.1002\/esp.2094","article-title":"Remote sensing of rivers: The emergence of a subdiscipline in the river sciences","volume":"35","author":"Marcus","year":"2010","journal-title":"Earth Surf. Process. Landf."},{"key":"ref_7","unstructured":"Shroder, J., and Wohl, E. (2013). Treatise on Geomorphology, Elsevier."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"19","DOI":"10.1080\/15715124.2012.754444","article-title":"Sensitivity analysis of environmental changes associated with riverscape evolutions following sediment reintroduction: Geomatic approach on the Dr\u00f4me River network, France","volume":"11","author":"Bertrand","year":"2013","journal-title":"Int. J. River Basin Manag."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"343","DOI":"10.1016\/j.geomorph.2010.09.009","article-title":"Spatial disaggregation and aggregation procedures for characterizing fluvial features at the network-scale: Application to the Rh\u00f4ne basin (France)","volume":"125","author":"Alber","year":"2011","journal-title":"Geomorphology"},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Belletti, B., Dufour, S., and Pi\u00e9gay, H. (2013). What is the relative effect of space and time to explain the braided river width and island patterns at a regional scale?. River Res. Appl.","DOI":"10.1002\/rra.2714"},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Carbonneau, P., and Piegay, H. (2012). Fluvial Remote Sensing for Science and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.","DOI":"10.1002\/9781119940791"},{"key":"ref_12","unstructured":"Ham, D., and Church, M. (2002). Channel Island and Active Channel Stability in the Lower Fraser River Gravel Reach, University of British Columbia."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"5","DOI":"10.1016\/j.geomorph.2012.05.033","article-title":"Spatial discontinuity and temporal evolution of channel morphology along a mixed bedrock-alluvial river, upper Dr\u00f4me River, southeast France: Contingent responses to external and internal controls","volume":"205","author":"Toone","year":"2014","journal-title":"Geomorphology"},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"31","DOI":"10.1002\/1096-9837(200101)26:1<31::AID-ESP155>3.0.CO;2-Y","article-title":"Riparian vegetation and island formation along the gravel-bed Fiume Tagliamento, Italy","volume":"26","author":"Gurnell","year":"2001","journal-title":"Earth Surf. Process. Landf."},{"key":"ref_15","unstructured":"Wintenberger, C., Rodrigues, S., Villar, M., and Br\u00e9h\u00e9ret, J.G. (2013, January 14\u201319). The key role of pioneer woody vegetation in mid-channel bar metamorphosis to island: Case study from the River Loire (France). Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Fluvial Sedimentology, Leeds, UK."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"530","DOI":"10.1007\/BF03161670","article-title":"Processes of fluvial island formation, with examples from Plum Creek, Colorado and Snake River, Idaho","volume":"18","author":"Osterkamp","year":"1998","journal-title":"Wetlands"},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"163","DOI":"10.1016\/j.geomorph.2015.02.009","article-title":"Historical geomorphic analysis (1932\u20132011) of a by-passed river reach in process-based restoration perspectives: The Old Rhine downstream of the Kembs diversion dam (France, Germany)","volume":"236","author":"Arnaud","year":"2015","journal-title":"Geomorphology"},{"key":"ref_18","first-page":"773","article-title":"The erodible corridor concept: Applicability and limitations for river management","volume":"21","author":"Darby","year":"2005","journal-title":"River Res. Appl."},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"176","DOI":"10.1016\/j.geomorph.2014.06.007","article-title":"Reach-scale morphological adjustments and stages of channel evolution: The case of the Trebbia River (northern Italy)","volume":"221","author":"Bollati","year":"2014","journal-title":"Geomorphology"},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"167","DOI":"10.1016\/S0169-555X(00)00044-1","article-title":"Assessment of channel changes due to long term bedload supply decrease, Roubion River, France","volume":"36","author":"Piegay","year":"2001","journal-title":"Geomorphology"},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"499","DOI":"10.1002\/esp.2262","article-title":"Remote measurement of river morphology via fusion of LiDAR topography and spectrally based bathymetry","volume":"37","author":"Legleiter","year":"2012","journal-title":"Earth Surf. Process. Landf."},{"key":"ref_22","unstructured":"Wiederkehr, E., Belletti, B., Dufour, S., and Pi\u00e9gay, H. (July, January 29). Physical characterisation of river corridors from orthophotos: Challenging issues and first application to the Rh\u00f4ne hydrographical network. Proceedings of the GEOBIA 2010-Geographic Object-Based Image Analysis Conference, Ghent, Belgium."},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"844","DOI":"10.1890\/11-2066.1","article-title":"Habitat modeling in high-gradient streams: The mesoscale approach and application","volume":"24","author":"Vezza","year":"2014","journal-title":"Ecol. Appl."},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"199","DOI":"10.1007\/BF01867358","article-title":"A hierarchical framework for stream habitat classification: Viewing streams in a watershed context","volume":"10","author":"Frissell","year":"1986","journal-title":"Environ. Manag."},{"key":"ref_25","unstructured":"European Commission (1992). Directive 1992\/43\/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora. Off. J. Eur. Union, 389, 7\u201350."},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"32","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-2427.2009.02181.x","article-title":"Environmental flows and the European Water Framework Directive","volume":"55","author":"Acreman","year":"2010","journal-title":"Freshw. Biol."},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Lollino, G., Arattano, M., Rinaldi, M., Giustolisi, O., Marechal, J.-C., and Grant, G.E. (2015). Engineering Geology for Society and Territory\u2014Volume 3 SE\u201475, Springer International Publishing.","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-319-09054-2"},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"107","DOI":"10.1016\/S0169-555X(99)00117-8","article-title":"Evaluation of multispectral, fine scale digital imagery as a tool for mapping stream morphology","volume":"33","author":"Wright","year":"2000","journal-title":"Geomorphology"},{"key":"ref_29","first-page":"801","article-title":"Effects of sensor resolution on mapping instream habitats","volume":"68","author":"Legleiter","year":"2002","journal-title":"Photogramm. Eng. Remote Sens."},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"363","DOI":"10.1016\/S0169-555X(03)00150-8","article-title":"High spatial resolution hyperspectral mapping of in-stream habitats, depths, and woody debris in mountain streams","volume":"55","author":"Marcus","year":"2003","journal-title":"Geomorphology"},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3209","DOI":"10.1080\/01431160701469024","article-title":"Extracting impervious surfaces from medium spatial resolution multispectral and hyperspectral imagery: A comparison","volume":"29","author":"Weng","year":"2008","journal-title":"Int. J. Remote Sens."},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3409","DOI":"10.1109\/TGRS.2011.2181853","article-title":"Multiple endmember unmixing of CHRIS\/Proba imagery for mapping impervious surfaces in urban and suburban environments","volume":"50","author":"Demarchi","year":"2012","journal-title":"IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens."},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"57","DOI":"10.1007\/s00027-015-0430-7","article-title":"The use of remote sensing to characterise hydromorphological properties of European rivers","volume":"78","author":"Bizzi","year":"2016","journal-title":"Aquat. Sci."},{"key":"ref_34","unstructured":"Regione Piemonte (2004). Piano di Tutela Della Acque-Allegato Tecnico II.h\/1-Bilancio Delle Disponibilit\u00e0 Idriche Naturali e Valutazione Dell\u2019incidenza dei Prelievi, Regione Piemonte."},{"key":"ref_35","first-page":"303","article-title":"Il ruolo svolto da piene straordinarie nel rimodellare la geometria di un alveo fluviale","volume":"21","author":"Turitto","year":"2008","journal-title":"Ital. J. Quat. Sci."},{"key":"ref_36","first-page":"251","article-title":"Evoluzione morfologica di alvei fluviali mobili nel settore occidentale del bacino padano","volume":"21","author":"Pellegrini","year":"2008","journal-title":"Ital. J. Quat. Sci."},{"key":"ref_37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"34","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rse.2011.02.030","article-title":"Remote sensing of impervious surfaces in the urban areas: Requirements, methods, and trends","volume":"117","author":"Weng","year":"2012","journal-title":"Remote Sens. Environ."},{"key":"ref_38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"304","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rse.2004.02.013","article-title":"Spectrometry for urban area remote sensing\u2014Development and analysis of a spectral library from 350 to 2400 nm","volume":"91","author":"Herold","year":"2004","journal-title":"Remote Sens. Environ."},{"key":"ref_39","unstructured":"Dennison, P.E., Roberts, D.A., and Regelbrugge, J. (2000, January 23\u201325). Characterizing chaparral fuels using combined hyperspectral and synthetic aperture radar. Proceedings of the 9th JPL Airborne Earth Science Workshop, Pasadena, CA, USA."},{"key":"ref_40","unstructured":"European Commission (2007). Directive 2007\/2\/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 March 2007 establishing an Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community (INSPIRE). Off. J. Eur. Union, 108, 1\u201314."},{"key":"ref_41","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"47","DOI":"10.1002\/esp.3290120107","article-title":"Quantitative analysis of land surface topography","volume":"12","author":"Zevenbergen","year":"1987","journal-title":"Earth Surf. Process. Landf."},{"key":"ref_42","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"29","DOI":"10.1016\/j.geomorph.2014.04.018","article-title":"\u201cFluvialCorridor\u201d: A new ArcGIS toolbox package for multiscale riverscape exploration","volume":"242","author":"Roux","year":"2015","journal-title":"Geomorphology"},{"key":"ref_43","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"155","DOI":"10.1016\/j.geomorph.2013.03.014","article-title":"Multi-scale factors controlling the pattern of floodplain width at a network scale: The case of the Rh\u00f4ne basin, France","volume":"200","author":"Notebaert","year":"2013","journal-title":"Geomorphology"},{"key":"ref_44","unstructured":"Hay, G.J., and Castilla, G. (2008). Lecture Notes in Geoinformation and Cartography, Springer Berling Heidelberg."},{"key":"ref_45","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"87","DOI":"10.1080\/00330120701724152","article-title":"An evaluation of an object-oriented paradigm for land use\/land cover classification","volume":"60","author":"Platt","year":"2008","journal-title":"Prof. Geogr."},{"key":"ref_46","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"239","DOI":"10.1016\/j.isprsjprs.2003.10.002","article-title":"Multi-resolution, object-oriented fuzzy analysis of remote sensing data for GIS-ready information","volume":"58","author":"Benz","year":"2004","journal-title":"ISPRS J. Photogramm. Remote Sens."},{"key":"ref_47","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"5","DOI":"10.1023\/A:1010933404324","article-title":"Random forests","volume":"45","author":"Breiman","year":"2001","journal-title":"Mach. Learn."},{"key":"ref_48","unstructured":"Tzotsos, A., and Argialas, D. (2008). Object Based Image Analysis, Springer Berlin Heidelberg."},{"key":"ref_49","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"257","DOI":"10.1080\/15481603.2015.1026049","article-title":"An object-based SVM method incorporating optimal segmentation scale estimation using Bhattacharyya Distance for mapping salt cedar (Tamarisk spp.) with QuickBird imagery","volume":"52","author":"Xun","year":"2015","journal-title":"GISci. Remote Sens."},{"key":"ref_50","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2440","DOI":"10.3390\/rs3112440","article-title":"An object-based classification of mangroves using a hybrid decision tree\u2014Support vector machine approach","volume":"3","author":"Heumann","year":"2011","journal-title":"Remote Sens."},{"key":"ref_51","unstructured":"eCognition Developer, Trimble (2014). 9.0 User Guide, Trimble Germany GmbH."},{"key":"ref_52","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"786","DOI":"10.1109\/PROC.1979.11328","article-title":"Statistical and structural approach to texture","volume":"67","author":"Haralick","year":"1979","journal-title":"Proc. IEEE"},{"key":"ref_53","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"307","DOI":"10.1016\/S0169-555X(02)00219-2","article-title":"Morphological response to river engineering and management in alluvial channels in Italy","volume":"50","author":"Surian","year":"2003","journal-title":"Geomorphology"},{"key":"ref_54","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"25","DOI":"10.1007\/s10750-012-1279-6","article-title":"Regional variability of aquatic pattern in braided reaches (example of the French Rh\u00f4ne basin)","volume":"712","author":"Belletti","year":"2012","journal-title":"Hydrobiologia"},{"key":"ref_55","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"69","DOI":"10.1016\/j.geomorph.2014.02.024","article-title":"Characterizing fluvial systems at basin scale by fuzzy signatures of hydromorphological drivers in data scarce environments","volume":"214","author":"Schmitt","year":"2014","journal-title":"Geomorphology"}],"container-title":["Remote Sensing"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2072-4292\/8\/2\/97\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T19:18:25Z","timestamp":1760210305000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2072-4292\/8\/2\/97"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2016,1,27]]},"references-count":55,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2016,2]]}},"alternative-id":["rs8020097"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/rs8020097","relation":{},"ISSN":["2072-4292"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2072-4292","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2016,1,27]]}}}