Identification of Paddy Planted Area Using ALOS PALSAR Data

Agricultural land has a strategic function as the primary food provider for the people of Indonesia. Various methods of agricultural production estimation, particularly food crops, provide different information. It can be a source of error in decision making. Satellite data, provides information periodically, wide coverage area, can be used as a source of information on the condition of agricultural lands and even remote areas. The advantages of SAR data that does not depend on sunlight and can penetrate of clouds and fog can fill the lack of optical data. ALOS PALSAR data has been used for analysis and ALOS AVNIR-2 is for checking of land cover visually, with acquisition date on 10 May 2007. Sampling of each rice crop growth period used several of rice field conditions in each period, on one scene data. Results showed a possibility to use soil moisture conditions derived from ALOS PALSAR for estimating rice planting area. On a scatter diagram between backscatter of ALOS PALSAR and near infrared of ALOS AVNIR-2 showed a specific pattern for each growing period of paddy. The results of the analysis produce distribution maps of the rice planting area Subang area, West Java Province. However, validation of the method used remains to be done. Remote sensing results of this study are expected to provide better information and can contribute in the planning of higher quality agricultural land.