ASABE Technical Library - Abstract

Abstract.

The goal of this study was to enhance the user-friendliness and performance of a software application developed to rapidly obtain image data from multiple file formats for processing and analysis in Microsoft Excel. The study constitutes part of an effort to develop a low-cost method of image processing and analysis based on Microsoft Excel. RGBExcel, which is the name for the original version, serves its purpose and has been a useful tool in enhancing teaching of Remote Sensing and related courses/research at Arkansas State University. Nevertheless, limitations of this application became apparent as a greater number of images had to be processed. Four major limitations were identified. First, only one image file could be handled at a time which was considered to be limiting even with the quick processing time. Secondly, three steps were involved (image file selection image data loading RGB data export to Excel) for each image file which was considered to be too laborious. Thirdly, the Excel file created was saved with a reserved name in a dedicated folder requiring the user to rename, cut, and paste the file in the desired location. Fourthly, only the two-dimensional image data from the R (red), G (green), and B (blue) bands were available in separate sheets in the Excel file, preventing certain analysis such as histograms and clustering for unsupervised classification. These limitations are addressed in this study, resulting in the current version called RGB2X 1.0. Some of the advantages of this new version over the initial version are: 1) multiple file handling; 2) reduced steps (image file(s) selection and data loading RGB data export to Excel) for each set of files selected; 3) Excel files created with same base names (with .xlsx extension) and saved in the same location as the original image files; 4) additional sheet in the Excel files containing one-dimensional forms of the R, G, and B data. These advantages represent a huge improvement in the software application and the form of the exported data has increased the number of potential analysis that can be performed on the data.