Radarsat backscattering from an agricultural scene

Pesquisa Agropecuária Brasileira

Antonio Roberto Formaggio¹  José Carlos Neves Epiphanio¹  Maurício Dos Santos Simões¹ 

[1],Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais Divisão de Sensoriamento Remoto São José dos Campos SP

关键词: remote sensing;    radar;    land use;    farmland;    sensoriamento remoto;    uso da terra;    terras agrícolas;   

DOI  :  10.1590/S0100-204X2001000500013

来源: SciELO

【 摘 要 】

Orbital remote sensing in the microwave electromagnetic region has been presented as an important tool for agriculture monitoring. The satellite systems in operation have almost all-weather capability and high spatial resolution, which are features appropriated for agriculture. However, for full exploration of these data, an understanding of the relationships between the characteristics of each system and agricultural targets is necessary. This paper describes the behavior of backscattering coefficient (sigma°) derived from calibrated data of Radarsat images from an agricultural area. It is shown that in a dispersion diagram of sigma° there are three main regions in which most of the fields can be classified. The first one is characterized by low backscattering values, with pastures and bare soils; the second one has intermediate backscattering coefficients and comprises well grown crops mainly; and a third one, with high backscattering coefficients, in which there are fields with strong structures causing a kind of double bounce effect. The results of this research indicate that the use of Radarsat images is optimized when a multitemporal analysis is done making the best use of the agricultural calendar and of the dynamics of different cultures.

【 授权许可】

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