ENVISAT-1/ASAR polarimetric and interferometric data for land cover mapping

This paper describes methodology and first results of the project AO:783 carried out in the frame of ESA's Envisat Announcement of Opportunity action. The progress of the project is shown as well as data used and methodology applied. The main aim of the project is to use ENVISAT / ASAR images generated at different polarization configuration and look angles for detailed land cover mapping and particularly agricultural crop identification. The time series of different kind of ASAR data acquired over the test area Malbork in the Northern Poland is processed digitally for facilitating visual ASAR image interpretation and automatic image classification. The expected results are: the evaluation of usefulness of ASAR sensor in land cover mapping task and better understanding of relationships between main crops development and ASAR images contents acquired at different stage of vegetation growth. Many field visits and reference parcels inspections are conducted for crops development stage describing and some bio-metric parameters collecting. On the other hand the time series of SPOT programmed imageries are collected for evaluating the results obtained from ASAR data by well known methodology of crop mapping using multitemporal, multispectral "optical" datasets. The SPOT data is provided by Spotimage in the frame of CNES / ISIS Program supporting university projects. The philosophy of the joint use of the two types of sensors is: a) studying their synergism and complementarity in fast land cover / crops mapping and b) analyzing their alternative use and possible replacement in particular conditions of unavailability of one of them. The task of rapid land cover and crop cartography is one of the major issues in the control of farmer's applications in the frame of Common Agricultural Policy (CAP_IACS instruments).