Likely answer edit

Training samples — the foundation.

  • Must be homogeneous areas of known class (land-use) type.
  • Ways to pick them:
    • Fieldwork (ground truthing with GPS).
    • Aerial photography at higher resolution than the sensor being classified.
    • Existing maps / GIS layers.
    • Personal experience / local knowledge.
  • Their spectral characteristics are then used to generate the class signatures.