Analysing satellite data to identify land use and crops

Remote sensing scientists at Landcare Research, in collaboration with Environment Canterbury, have developed a new capability for mapping agricultural land use from satellite imagery. The methods are aimed at gathering regional statistics on areas of various land use types, and their change over time. The maps of land use and crops can also be laid over other topographic data, for example soil maps, to see what land uses are occurring on what soils.

The maps, even though covering large areas (e.g. a 60 x 60 km satellite image) are detailed enough to show individual paddocks.

An extract from a landuse map is shown at the left. This is an enlargement of summer 2011/12 classification, showing land use timing at paddock-level

Assuming suitable images can be acquired (the weather plays a part), it is possible to carry out a land use classification every 6 months, i.e. a summer and a winter land use map each year. This ability for frequent updating, and provision of paddock-level information, have prompted the researchers to ask farmers whether they see uses of such mapping for more local- or catchment-level applications of value to themselves.

The LandWISE Conference seems the ideal forum to put this question to a tech-savvy group of farmers. David will present land use maps from summer and winter classifications in Mid-Canterbury, and ask for input on potential farm-scale uses, such as alleviating some of the work in filling in agricultural statistics questionnaires, or other possibilities.

To find out more, come to the conference and tell David your reactions, ideas and aspirations.