POPULATION ESTIMATES FROM REMOTELY SENSED DATA

这项SBIR提案的主要目标是设计、测试和销售一种根据遥感数据生成当前人口估计的自动化系统。通过结合图像处理技术和人口估计技术来转换航空摄影和低成本、高分辨率卫星图像的程序，可能使提供美国或加拿大任何用户定义地区的每月人口估计是可行的。该项目的关键创新涉及图像处理技术、人口估计技术和遥感数据的独特组合，从而产生了一种全新的、更稳健的、基于经验的方法来获得当前的人口估计。第一阶段提案的具体目标包括：1)安装和测试图像处理软件；2)对1米航空摄影测试数据进行软件校准；3)评估识别住房单元的模式识别算法；4)验证和校准选定的俄亥俄州和内华达州试验点的住房评估。由于大多数商业上可获得的人口估计要么是基于往往过时的行政记录和症状指标，要么是基于假定的数学程序，因此任何能够从以Empirica！Ly为基础的当前住房单位计数中产生估计的过程都将具有巨大的商业潜力。拟议的商业应用：建立一个快速、低成本、计算机化的程序，以便根据当前的遥感数据得出用户定义区域的人口估计数，这将对寻求“最新”人口变化计数和计量的广泛商业利益具有战略重要性，目的包括选址和准确估计市场规模。

The principal objectives of this SBIR proposal are to design, test and market an automated system for producing current population estimates from remotely sensed data. A procedure to transform both aerial photography and low cost, high resolution satellite imagery by combining image processing technology and demographic estimation techniques may make it feasible to provide monthly population estimates for any user- defined area in the United States or Canada. The project's key innovation involves the unique combination of image processing technology, demographic estimation techniques and remotely sensed data resulting in a radically new and more robust, empirically-based method for obtaining current population estimates. Specific goals of this Phase I proposal include: 1) installing and testing image processing software, 2) calibrating software to 1-meter aerial photographic test data, 3) evaluation of pattern recognition algorithms in identifying housing units, and 4) validation and calibration of housing estimates at selected Ohio and Nevada test sites. Since the majority of commercially available population estimates are based on either often outdated administrative records and symptomatic indicators or presumptive mathematical procedures, any process which can generate estimates from empirica!ly-based, current housing unit counts will have enormous commercial potential. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: The creation of a rapid, low cost, computerized procedure for deriving population estimates of user defined areas based on current, remotely sensed data will be of strategic importance to a wide range of commercial interests seeking "up-to-the-minute" counts and measures of population change for wide ranging purposes including site location and precise estimates of market size.