Ground Truthing of LULC Classification

Ground truthing is the process by which LULC classification are verified by taking a sample of the classifications and performing an in-situ or as my industry calls it "boots on the ground" verification.  Classifying LULC via aerial photography can only be so accurate.  High resolution photos may not be available and lower resolution may not be clear enough to determine what an object is.  Experience of the classifier can compensate, but there are still other instances where the ground truthing is the better classification route.  For example, there could be areas that were rezoned from residential to commercial.  In an aerial photo, the location would look like it should be zoned residential, but ground truthing reveals that what once was a home is now a office for a lawyer or a dentist.  In the map below, I chose to do was is called systematic sampling.  By ground truthing a sample of the classification, you can determine how accurate your overall assessment should be.