Different maps rendering modes

This display shows a detailed fragment of a classified map using different visualization (rendering) modes. The visualization modes differ in which aspects of classification (which classes) are visualized, how colors are used to represent classes, how to treat different probabilities of classes, how to mix colors when there are multiple classes occupying the same pixel in the classified output. The color blending modes are important especially when there are many classes mixed within the same area.


RGB rendering Default rendering mode blending individual class colors by merging individual class colors proportionally in RGB color space. RGB color space is used by all computer display devices, so this mode directly matches the way display devices mix component hues (red-green-blue) to create colors.

CIE L*a*b and XYZ rendering These color blending modes perform color mixing in CIE L*a*b or XYZ color spaces. These color spaces were designed to reflect properties of human vision sensitivity to different hues and produces potentially more perceptibly precise output especially in complex areas, where many different classes are present in the same patch.

Hue-preserving rendering This mode employs a special processing of colors to avoid the problem of creating many artificial hues that might be difficult to interpret to humans. It uses only the pure-class color hues, varying their saturation and intensity, instead of creating artificial transitions between hues. It allows often the most visually obvious and precise interpretation, at the cost of correctly representing only 2 most dominant classes in every pixel.

Probability 1 and 2 These are two indexes of fuzzy classification reliability / uncertainty. Lighter colors denote pixels that are classified as belonging to one target class. Darker areas indicate places predicted to belong to two or more different classes, which might represent areas where the classification is less reliable or indicate natural gradients and transition zones between classes in study site.