Remote sensing –Beyond images Mexico 14-15 December 2013 The workshop was organized by CIMMYT Global Conservation Agriculture Program (GCAP) and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), the Mexican Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA), the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), CGIAR Research Program on Maize, the Cereal System Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) and the Sustainable Modernization of the Traditional Agriculture (MasAgro)

1. Optical and Microwave Remote Sensing
for Crop Monitoring in Mexico
J. Soria-Ruiz. National Institute of Forestry Agriculture and Livestock Research.
Y. Fernández-Ordóñez Colegio de Postgraduados.
H. McNairn Agri-Food Canada
Beyond Diagnostics: Insights and Recommendations from Remote Sensing
Workshop CIMMyT. Mexico, D.F. Diciembre 14-15 de 2013

2. Optical and microwave remote sensing for crop
monitoring in Mexico.
Outline
 RS in everyday life
 Some applications realized by INIFAP
 Extreme events: Flooding with SAR; Hurricane damage using
SPOT5; Frost damage with MODIS.
 Avocado Sunblotch Viroid (ASBVd) detection in
Michoacan, Mexico using QuickBird.
 Land Use/Cover in central Mexico using LANDSAT and SAR
(Radarsat 1).
 Crop monitoring, condition and crop yield using SPOT 5 and
Radarsat 2.
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3. Remote Sensing in everyday life
The human visual system is an
example of a remote sensing
system in the general sense.
Currently, RS has become important with the advancement of
space technology, with new elements of data gathering and
analysis that contribute to solve many problems of today's
society.
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4. Some applications realized by INIFAP
Extreme events
Natural phenomena become natural
disasters when they surpass a normal
threshold.
Severe effects occur when planning and
security measures are deficient.
Mexico’s southeastern region is
characterized by the economic
potential of its natural resources.
However, this region faces frequent
cyclic problems due to natural
disasters.
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5. Some applications realized by INIFAP
Extreme events: Flooding
Flooding in the state of Tabasco in October 2007 was considered the worst in 50 years.
Excessive rainfall in the state of Chiapas and the rise of water levels in the Usumacinta
and Grijalva rivers result in severe flooding in urban and flat areas.
DEM - Tabasco
89% of its surface shows a flat
topography with high flooding
susceptibility
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6. Some applications realized by INIFAP
Extreme events: Flooding
Objectives
To quantify the agricultural surface affected by flooding, for annual and perennial
crops, with a Radarsat 1 image.
Image Technical Specifications:
• C-Band wavelength (5.6cm)
• HH polarization (Horizontally
transmitted and received)
• Resolution: 12.5 m
• Incidence Angles: 39º
• Scene: 6 Nov 2007
ERDAS and Arc/Gis Software
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7. Results
Affected agricultural areas

8. Some applications realized by INIFAP
Extreme events: Flooding
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9. Some applications realized by INIFAP
Extreme events: Hurricanes
Hurricane- a cyclonic low pressure system formed over the oceans and caused by
water evaporation rising from the sea and becoming a storm.
An increase in cyclonic activity has been
observed in the equatorial zone of the globe;
events are above the mean value of 9 cyclones
per year.
Objective
Assess and quantify the agricultural surface
affected by hurricane Dean in the three states of the
Yucatan Peninsula.
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10. Some applications realized by INIFAP
Extreme events: Hurricanes
SPOT 5 mosaic used to assess
damage in agriculture due to
hurricane Dean in 2007.
Affected areas of maize, sugar cane and
agriculture plantations in Quintana Roo.
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11. Some applications realized by INIFAP
Extreme events: Hurricanes
Affected areas of maize crop - Yucatan
Affected areas of maize crop - Campeche
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12. Some applications realized by INIFAP
Extreme events: Frost
MODIS
Serious frost in Sinaloa, Northwestern Mexico, in late January 2011 caused a
total loss of garden produce, vegetables and annual crops of the AutumnWinter agricultural cycle. (Assessment work carried out jointly by SIAP and
INIFAP.)
Before frost
After frost
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13. Some applications realized by INIFAP
Land Use/Cover in central Mexico (Landsat ETM)
March scenes
July scenes
LANDSAT ETM
Mosaic
December
scenes
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14. Some applications realized by INIFAP
Land Use/Cover in central Mexico (Landsat ETM)
Land use – State level
estatal
Land use – Municipal level
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15. Some applications realized by INIFAP
Avocado Sunblotch Viroid (ASBVd) detection in the state of
Michoacan
QuickBird
Avocado Sunblotch Viroid (ASBVd), a disease
with economic consequences affects Avocado
(Persea americana Mill.)
Plantations affected with ASBVd exhibit yield
reductions and lesser quality produce of up to 52.7 %.
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16. Identification and sampling zones

17. Field work, Tacambaro municipality, Michoacan.

18. Quickbird Image
Spatial resolution: 0.60 m

19. Sampling and
georeferencing of
ASBVd infected trees

20. Infected individuals resulting
from the digital classification
were validated via fitopatology
lab tests.
Precision: 87 %

21. Some applications realized by INIFAP
Land Use/Cover in central Mexico: Landsat ETM and Radarsat 1
the objective of this study was to assess the advantages of combining synthetic
aperture radar (SAR) and optical remote sensing in producing more accurate maps.
Landsat ETM 25 m
30/July/2001
Methodology
SAR R1 Fine beam mode HH
polarization
C band (6.25 m)
16/Aug/2001
Incidence angle: 42.03
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22. Some applications realized by INIFAP
Land Use/Cover in central Mexico: Landsat ETM and Radarsat 1
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23. Some applications realized by INIFAP
Crop monitoring, condition and crop yield using SPOT 5 and Radarsat 2.
In Mexico over two agricultural cycles
(Spring-Summer and Autumn-Winter)
28.5 million tons are harvested. These
crops require continuous monitoring in
order to correct management
deficiencies.
Production systems for this crop are
varied In the center and southern
regions of the country production
systems are characterized by small plot
sizes, irregular forms and most of
them on sloped terrain.
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24. Some applications realized by INIFAP
Crop monitoring, condition and crop yield using SPOT 6 and Radarsat 2.
Objectives
1.
Study the utility of multi-polarized C-band radar data for crop type and crops
condition in Mexico.
2.
Establish the benefit of combining RADAR and OPTICAL data in increasing
accuracy of crop condition.
3.
Use quad polarization (QP) mode to increase detection of crop type and crop
condition of corn, and ultra fine spatial resolution for crop yield from Radarsat 2.
4.
For crop yield, assess the linear cross- polarization data (HV and VH) using
contrast information and different incidence angles to establish areas of high and
low productivity.
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25. Some applications realized by INIFAP
Crop monitoring, condition and crop yield using SPOT 6 and Radarsat 2.
Radarsat 2
C band
4.8 – 7.5 cm wavelength
8.0 - 5.0 GHz frequency
RADARSAT-2 is a fully polarimetric sensor, thus it is able to send and receive radar waves in
all possible polarization combinations: Horizontal (H) and Vertical (V). Thus the following
polarizations are available: co-polarized radar signals (HH y VV) and quad-polarized signals:
Selective Polarization: (HH and HV) or (VH and VV)
Single Polarization: (HH)
Quad-Polarization: (HH, VV, HV, VH)
Selective Single Polarization: (HH) or (HV) or (VH) or (VV)
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26. Some applications realized by INIFAP
Crop monitoring, condition and crop yield using SPOT 5 and Radarsat 2.
Advances
147 plots in the study area have been
monitored on the Spring-Summer cycle
2013.
Study area: Zinacantepec Municipality, Mexico.
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27. Some applications realized by INIFAP
Crop monitoring, condition and crop yield using SPOT 5 and Radarsat 2.
Advances
Cutivated suface of maize in the municipality of
Zinacantepec, Mexico. Spring-Summer cycle
2013, using SPOT 5
Cover
Surface (ha)
(%)
Maize
10,624.3
32.98
Other
21,589.3
67.02
32,213.7
100
Total
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28. Thanks
Dr. Jesus Soria-Ruiz
Geomatics Lab – INIFAP
soria.jesus@inifap.gob.mx
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