The use of imaging spectrometry for agricultural applications

The use of broadband satellite information for agricultural applications like crop growth monitoring and yield prediction currently is well adapted. In this paper, the potential of imaging spectrometry for agricultural applications is evaluated. Data of the AVIRIS spectrometer obtained during the MAC Europe 1991 campaign in The Netherlands are used. The information contained in these data is studied by applying a principal component analysis. Results show that only three factors explain 96.8% of the total variance in the selected data set. The information content can best be represented by one broad spectral band in the NIR region, one broad band in the VIS region and one broad band in the SWIR region between the two main water absorption features. The results also indicate that some additional information may be provided by spectral measurements at the red-edge region. The agricultural data set did not provide information on leaf biochemistry, except for leaf chlorophyll content. The contribution of imaging spectrometry to agricultural applications lies in the red-edge region, yielding information about chlorophyll and nitrogen status of plants. q 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.