The potential of High Spatial Resolution

Intensive agricultural regions are subject to recurrent changes in land cover. Knowledge of the dynamics of land cover in these regions enables us to better monitor changes in land use and occupation, and to understand the processes and impacts on biodiversity. Characterizing these changes is therefore an essential aid for decision-makers. On the other hand, it poses a number of methodological problems, with the new optical remote sensing sensors. For example, at the intensive agricultural site of Notre Dame des Landes, the SPOT 4 Take5 change detection method and the object-oriented change detection method were used comparatively to characterize land use patterns. The results show that both methods can be used to better characterize land use patterns. However, the study also has certain limitations, especially for the validation and characterization of land use patterns specific to grasslands.Key words: Remote sensing, High spatial and temporal resolution, GIS, Land use and occupancy, Grasslands.