title: Geographic Object-Based Image Analysis - Towards a new paradigm.
abstract: The amount of scientific literature on (Geographic) Object-based Image Analysis - GEOBIA has been and still is sharply increasing. These approaches to analysing imagery have antecedents in earlier research on image segmentation and use GIS-like spatial analysis within classification and feature extraction approaches. This article investigates these development and its implications and asks whether or not this is a new paradigm in remote sensing and Geographic Information Science (GIScience). We first discuss several limitations of prevailing per-pixel methods when applied to high resolution images. Then we explore the paradigm concept developed by Kuhn (1962) and discuss whether GEOBIA can be regarded as a paradigm according to this definition. We crystallize core concepts of GEOBIA, including the role of objects, of ontologies and the multiplicity of scales and we discuss how these conceptual developments support important methods in remote sensing such as change detection and accuracy assessment. The ramifications of the different theoretical foundations between the'per-pixel paradigm'and GEOBIA are analysed, as are some of the challenges along this path from pixels, to objects, to geo-intelligence. Based on several paradigm indications as defined by Kuhn and based on an analysis of peer-reviewed scientific literature we conclude that GEOBIA is a new and evolving paradigm.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geoinformatics - Z_GIS, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Str. 34, A-5020 Salzburg, Austria.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Blaschke
authors.affiliation: Department of Geoinformatics - Z_GIS, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Str. 34, A-5020 Salzburg, Austria.
authors.forename: Geoffrey J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Hay
authors.affiliation: Department of Geoinformatics - Z_GIS, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Str. 34, A-5020 Salzburg, Austria.
authors.forename: Maggi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.affiliation: Department of Geoinformatics - Z_GIS, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Str. 34, A-5020 Salzburg, Austria.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lang
authors.affiliation: Department of Geoinformatics - Z_GIS, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Str. 34, A-5020 Salzburg, Austria.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hofmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Geoinformatics - Z_GIS, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Str. 34, A-5020 Salzburg, Austria.
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Addink
authors.affiliation: Department of Geoinformatics - Z_GIS, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Str. 34, A-5020 Salzburg, Austria.
authors.forename: Raul
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Queiroz Feitosa
authors.affiliation: Department of Geoinformatics - Z_GIS, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Str. 34, A-5020 Salzburg, Austria.
authors.forename: Freek
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: van der Meer
authors.affiliation: Department of Geoinformatics - Z_GIS, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Str. 34, A-5020 Salzburg, Austria.
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: van der Werff
authors.affiliation: Department of Geoinformatics - Z_GIS, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Str. 34, A-5020 Salzburg, Austria.
authors.forename: Frieke
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: van Coillie
authors.affiliation: Department of Geoinformatics - Z_GIS, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Str. 34, A-5020 Salzburg, Austria.
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tiede
keywords: GEOBIA; GIScience; Image classification; Image segmentation; OBIA; Remote sensing