A review of downscaling methods for remote sensing-based irrigation management: part I

High-resolution daily evapotranspiration (ET) maps would greatly improve irrigation management. Numerous ET mapping algorithms have been developed to make use of thermal remote sensing data acquired by satellite sensors. However, adoption of remote sensing-based ET maps for irrigation management has not been feasible due to inadequate spatial and temporal resolution of ET maps. Data from a coarse spatial resolution image in agricultural fields often cause inaccurate ET estimation because of a high level of spatial heterogeneity in land use. Image downscaling methods have been utilized to overcome spatial and temporal scaling issues in numerous remote sensing applications. In the field of hydrology, the image downscaling method has been used to improve spatial resolution of remote sensing-based ET maps for irrigation scheduling purposes and thus improves estimation of crop water requirements. This paper (part I) reviews downscaling methods to improve spatial resolution of land surface characteristics such as land surface temperature or ET. Each downscaling method was assessed and compared with respect to their capability of downscaling spatial resolutions of images. The companion paper (part II) presents review of image fusion methods that are also designed to increase spatial resolutions of images by integrating multi-spectral and panchromatic images.