Crop acreage estimation using ERS-1 SAR data

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data from the European Remote Sensing Satellite (ERS-1) acquired in July, October and November, 1992 covering the kharif season of the region were used separately and in combination to identify the major crops and for estimation of their acreage before harvest Separability indices were calculated for major cover types and it was found that single-date SAR data cannot be used for accurate identification of various crops. Multi-temporal colour composite facilitated better identification of crop types. Comparison of area estimates made with ERS-1 SAR and IRS-1B LISS II data showed that the commonly used digital data analysis techniques (per pixel classifiers) are not adequate for accurate estimation of crop acreage using SAR data.