CROP DISCRIMINATION AND MAPPING USING MULTI-TEMPORAL RCM COMPACT POLARIMETRY SAR DATA

This study contributes to advancing the understanding and utilization of compact polarimetry (CP) RCM Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data for enhanced crop characterization and mapping. The received wave polarization signature captures the explicit variation of the received power with a fixed transmit polarization and varying received polarization bases. This information is then suitably utilized for improved discrimination among multiple crop types. Furthermore, the study explores using multi-date polarimetric features extracted from RCM imagery to achieve more accurate and detailed crop mapping results. By incorporating information from multiple acquisition dates, the multi-date polarimetric features illustrate excellent potential in capturing temporal variations in crop characteristics, leading to enhanced crop mapping accuracy. The implications and findings from this study could be essential in demonstrating the role of RCM data in agricultural applications.