Development of olive trees inventory technique using remote sensing data

Abstract

Development of olive trees inventory technique using remote sensing data

Dr. Mohamad Rukieh
General Director
General Organization of Remote Sensing (GORS)
Syria

Dr. Youness Edriss
Deputy Director of Applications
General Organization of Remote Sensing (GORS)
Syria

Abstract
Up till now the accounting of olive trees is only based on the data submitted by the plantation owners. The plans of Syrian national economy development provide for increase of olive and olive oil production, what needs expansion of olive plantations and development of scientifically justified objective and precise methods to account the olive trees. One of such methods can be application of airborne and space survey data.

According to work program the objective of the study was to develop a technique of olive trees inventory in the Syrian Arab Republic using airborne and space survey data, the Idlib Province as example. Major tasks of the study were:

development of a technique to evaluate the area occupied by olive plantations;
development of a technique to evaluate the olive tree population;
development of a technique to assess the condition of olive trees;

The complex of studies included the following works:

analysis of existing techniques for vegetation study by airborne and space data;
preliminary analysis of possibility to use high resolution space images for inventory;
air and auto visual inspection of olive plantations;
experimental air photography at scale 1:3,000 and 1:10,000 on 40 sq. km;
interpretation of space images and drawing up of a landscape scheme for the area of 800 sq. km and olive plantation inventory scheme for the area of 200 sq. km; interpretation of Images and drawing up of a scheme of olive plantation inventory for the area of 40 sq. km;
development of a technological scheme and techniques of olive trees inventory;

The research work was carried on by specialists of GORS of the Syrian Arab Republic, VNIIKAM ( All-Russia Institute of Space and Airborne Geological Methods of the State Research-and-production Enterprise “ Aerogeology”, Russia) and olive Bureau (Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, Syrian Arab Republic).