This study aims to evaluate whether the high spatial
resolution of IKONOS multispectral imagery makes it
superior to other satellite sensors for supervised classification
and mapping of coral reef habitats. Specifically,
we compare the costs and effectiveness (thematic accuracy)
of remote sensing between IKONOS and a range of
imagery from alternative sensors: Landsat Multispectral
Scanner (MSS), Landsat TM, SPOT HRV multispectral
(XS) and Panchromatic (Pan), and CASI imagery. Furthermore,
we evaluate whether explicit incorporation of
spatial information in the form of texture significantly
improves the accuracy of thematic maps derived from IKONOS
data.