In vegetation, the term ‘cover’ refers to the vertical projection of vegetation area for the unit ground area. This variable is unitless, and ranges from 0 to 1. However, many definition of cover exists, depending on the vegetation type, component, methods is considered in the measuration.
This resulted in a heterogeneous quantities of definitions, which are not harmonized, hampering comparability among different measurements and methods.
In 202 I collaborated with a research, led by Linyuan Li, which reviewed the many definition available on vegetation cover.
The review harmonized the many definitions of cover and its related quantities. In addition, it described the many available instruments and methods to measure and monitor cover at spatially-extensive scales, from ground to satellite. Finally, the study describes the pros and cons of many methods, and describes the challenges and future perspective of monitoring this key vegetation variable.
Li, L., Mu, X., Jiang, H., Chianucci, F., Hu, R., Song, W., Qi, J., Liu, S., Zhou, J., Chen, L. and Huang, H., 2023. Review of ground and aerial methods for vegetation cover fraction (fCover) and related quantities estimation: definitions, advances, challenges, and future perspectives. ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, 199, pp.133-156, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isprsjprs.2023.03.020